Divorce is simply a part of modern life in New Jersey and elsewhere. Unfortunately, it can greatly impact not only divorcing parents but also their children. A few tips may help parents dealing with matters that directly affect the children, such as child custody.
First, bringing a custody dispute to a resolution as quickly as possible is essential. The more quickly that the children know what their future living situations will be, the sooner they can start to reconstruct their worlds and achieve some stability once again. If possible, reaching a compromise about child custody before commencing a divorce trial is helpful.
One of the problems with waiting for the court to sort out a child custody dispute is that courts do not really know the parents very well, so they are not necessarily the best parties to determine which of the parents should keep the children. In addition, even small life details may be presented in court in an effort to paint a parent as unfit to keep the children. This can be humiliating for both the parent and the children.
A qualified attorney in New Jersey can provide guidance during the process of divorce mediation, which is an alternative to traditional divorce litigation that can be helpful for resolving child custody issues and other major divorce matters, such as child support. Collaborative divorce is another option besides going to trial. The attorney’s goal in these processes is to ensure that one’s rights are protected and that, most importantly, the best interests of the children are pursued.
Source: findlaw.com, “Divorce: Easing the Strain on Children“, Accessed on July 5, 2017