In a perfect world everyone would find their Prince (or Princess) Charming, true love would never fade, and everyone would live “Happily Ever After”. But, we all know that life isn’t a fairytale and that sometimes, even the most enviable relationships can run out of gas.
With the divorce rate as high as it is in this country it’s hard to imagine why people even bother getting married nowadays in the first place. But, we do and if it doesn’t go the way we planned, we need someone we can trust for an escape plan.
Our perception of divorce is usually messy and time consuming where couples speak through lawyers and left to pay astronomical fees. But what if I told you that it didn’t have to be like that? Mediation is another option for couples who are ready to throw in the towel without engaging in a lengthy legal battle. It takes a fraction of the time and money that it would to go the litigation route and allows for a less stressful, more cooperative dissolution of a marriage.
Mediation is a confidential, highly effective way to ensure that the decisions met will work for both parties which means they are more likely to stick! For example in 80% of mediated divorces, parents complied with their child support agreements whereas only 40% complied after litigated divorces. There is the opportunity for joint decision making which means that there is no third party telling you how things will be. The mediator will provide insight and legal information but they are there to help communicate between both parties; at the end of the day the decisions are made by the couple.
When children are involved in divorce it can get especially ugly, with parents using the child as a pawn to gain custody. Sometimes they are even forced to stand up and choose which parent they want to live with. With a mediated divorce, the child’s best interests are kept in mind and interim decisions can be made so it does not become a battle for your children and their affection.
Don’t you think you should honor the union you shared with your partner by parting in a mutually respectful manner? Sometimes things simply don’t work, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop your lives for the next year and a half to get a divorce. Call my office today for more information. Let me help you move on sooner.