Why focusing on your child can help you have a smoother divorce

When divorcing parents can’t seem to agree on anything, it can be important to the divorce process to remember that they both love their children and want to cause as little pain to them as possible. Focusing on that can help you find a way to work through property division and other aspects of the divorce more amicably.

Some experts recommend having a “child-centered” divorce. That doesn’t mean thinking only of your children and not about your own needs. However, if you focus on minimizing stress and anxiety for them, you’ll likely do that for yourselves as well.

Minimizing your time in court

Don’t let the divorce drag on longer than it has to. You want to take the time you need to reach agreements that will help you move forward as securely as possible. However, you don’t want to waste time (and money) fighting over things that aren’t important to you just so you can “win.”

The more you can stay out of court, the better off you’ll likely be. If you and your spouse can negotiate your agreements with your individual attorneys’ guidance, you don’t have to put your or your children’s future in the hands of a judge who doesn’t know any of you.

Settling everything in court can also be an enormous drain on your financial resources. That doesn’t mean not fighting for what’s important if you have to. However, if both parents are committed to amicably parting ways as spouses, you should be able to minimize these battles.

Focus on the future rather than the past

A child-centered divorce also means focusing on the future rather than getting revenge for past wrongs. Assuming that the two of you will have some type of shared custody arrangement, you’ll need to be in each other’s lives as co-parents. The sooner you can start working together, the better off your kids will be.

Negotiation can be a lot more challenging than making a case to a judge and asking them to decide. That’s why a child-centered divorce requires sound legal guidance.