Do Collaborative Divorces Help Children?

For many spouses, their primary concern during divorce is their children. Although many individuals may have a slightly more self-centered approach as their marriage comes to an end, others want to make sure that their divorces do not wreak unnecessary harm on their young ones. As a result, many parents start to explore methods to end their marriages in ways that are specifically tailored towards helping children move on and recover after this potentially traumatic life event. One of the methods that has been touted as especially helpful is collaborative divorce. This process can be beneficial for many reasons, but is it the right choice for your family?

The only real way to answer that question is to get in touch with a qualified divorce attorney in North Carolina. Our legal professionals can listen carefully, learning about your unique situation during a consultation. Internet research can provide you with some basic information, but nothing beats the targeted, personalized attention of a divorce attorney. During a consultation, you can start to figure out exactly how to end your marriage in a way that mitigates the psychological impact on your children at all costs.

In a normal, litigated divorce, children often have no control over what happens. This is because their preferences are largely ignored by the court. In a collaborative divorce, the entire family can make a collective decision-making process. You can take the preferences of your children into account as you decide on child custody decisions, allowing for an outcome that makes everyone happy. More importantly, this process makes everyone feel like they are involved in the final decision.

Let’s face it – parents know what is best for their children – not some judge who has no idea how your family works. In a litigated divorce, you hand over control to a judge rather than making a well-informed, considerate decision among yourselves. Children also tend to feel helpless when they are going through a divorce, and allowing them to voice their opinion helps to give them back their voice. This can reduce the psychological trauma suffered by young ones during divorces.

No child wants to see their parents fighting. Unfortunately, divorces can lead to some of the most combative disputes of any relationship. Litigated divorces can inflate these conflicts, making them even worse than they need to be. Even couples who split up on relatively amicable terms can be twisted against one another by the inherently “me vs. them” approach of a trial. This can lead to bitterness and resentment that lasts long after the divorce is resolved. Children can easily pick up on these conflicts, no matter how hard you try to hide them. If spouses are unhappy with the outcome of their divorce trials, they can continue to argue – putting children in the middle of it all.

It is also worth pointing out that collaborative divorces are generally much quicker to resolve than litigated divorces. This is because trials can be faced with many delays. Even trials that move forward at the fastest pace possible can take months or even years to resolve, especially if there are many disputes to go over. In contrast, collaborative divorce can be resolved in a matter of weeks, allowing both spouses to move on with their lives and put the past behind them.

Why is this beneficial for children? Well, you want to make the transition as easy as possible for them. Drawing out the process for longer than necessary does not help anyone. In fact, children can suffer psychological harm due to the uncertainty inherent with these drawn-out trials. It is best to create a new “normal” and move forward with a healthy family structure as soon as possible.

If you have been searching the North Carolina area for an experienced divorce attorney, look no further than Arnold & Smith, PLLC. Over the years, we have assisted numerous couples who are interested in collaborative divorce. Make no mistake – this process can be highly beneficial for children who are dealing with the breakup of their parents. However, there are also many other benefits to this process. First of all, a collaborative divorce can be much quicker to finalize compared to a litigated divorce. Secondly, it can also be much cheaper, as you can avoid expensive trials. Book your consultation today, and you can learn much more about the benefits of collaborative divorce during a consultation.