Parenting today is a lot different than it used to be. Social media now infiltrates children’s lives from a young age, there are different social pressures and awarenesses, parents face busier schedules balancing work and family life, and so much more.
Once the divorce papers are signed, the issues and challenges of divorce don’t magically disappear (as much as we wish they would). There’s no on-and-off switch to the emotional and logistical baggage that comes along with such a drastic life change, and everyone’s journey will look different as they navigate new waters and start the next chapter.
The good news is that you’re not the only one facing these challenges. Newly divorced individuals often deal with the same patterns and roadblocks as they try to get on with their lives, which means there are lessons you can take from those who have gone before you that you can apply to your life to help overcome them.
Summertime and the living is easy – unless you’re a co-parent, which in that case, likely means summer can become a hectic, busy, fast-paced time with constantly changing schedules to balance.
While the school year gives co-parents a solid structure to work with, taking up most days and many nights due to various extra-curricular activities, the summer can feel like lawless land, with rotating stints at summer camp, long-planned vacations, quick weekend getaways, and alternative childcare programs all in the mix. For co-parents, there’s also the reality of balancing two different households.
Mediated divorces provide an independent, often more amicable alternative to traditional litigated divorce. Mediation can happen in-person or virtually, and both people work together with a neutral third party, the mediation, to reach a mutually agreeable settlement.
Mediation can be a happy medium for couples who don’t want to go to court and don’t feel equipped to handle the interworkings of their divorce on their own.
Mediation tends to cost less than litigating and can wrap up the divorce process faster as well. So, how long does divorce mediation last exactly? That depends on four factors unique to each case.
When a divorcing couple has kids, they will always dread that first time the children go to spend time with the other parent. It’s unusual at first, to be without the children whose presence you’re used to having constantly, but the best way to get through it is to find healthy ways to spend that time.
Whether it’s your first time being alone without the kids or you’re still struggling with it years after a divorce, use these six ideas to keep you busy and add value to your life, not take away from it.
