The more you put in writing now, when you are having a friendly divorce, the less chance there is for any fighting down the road if you happen to have a less friendly post-divorce. Sometimes our clients want an open parenting plan with nothing specifically written about who spends time where. They will just work it out because they get along and continue to plan to do so. And that is great and can work…. until it isn’t great and does not work.
It is hard to predict the future. What if you both have new partners down the road whose extended family makes a huge deal about Thanksgiving and you both want the kids for Thanksgiving Day? You are no longer spending the day together as you originally thought when you got divorced. What if you both have shore houses booked for the same week? Whose responsibility is it to follow through with and pay for the QDRO to divide that retirement fund? These are the issues you can address in mediation to avoid any confusion in the future, rather than just say we will work it out as needed.
The parts of your divorce agreement that you think are not necessary are like insurance, it is good to have but you hope that you will never need it. If you make plans now, when things are relatively good, you can avoid any potential disagreements in the future. Oh…it says in our divorce agreement that Jane is paying for and filing for the QDRO. No discussion needed. Oh…it says in our divorce agreement that John gets first pick this year for summer vacation. The kids are going to his rental beach house. No fighting needed. At Westfield Mediation, LLC, our mediators address these potential pitfalls. It is better to have a fallback plan and never need it then have no fallback plan and need one.
To learn more about divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M. Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, at Westfield Mediation, LLC at 908.913.0373. View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com.
It is hard to predict the future. What if you both have new partners down the road whose extended family makes a huge deal about Thanksgiving and you both want the kids for Thanksgiving Day? You are no longer spending the day together as you originally thought when you got divorced. What if you both have shore houses booked for the same week? Whose responsibility is it to follow through with and pay for the QDRO to divide that retirement fund? These are the issues you can address in mediation to avoid any confusion in the future, rather than just say we will work it out as needed.
The parts of your divorce agreement that you think are not necessary are like insurance, it is good to have but you hope that you will never need it. If you make plans now, when things are relatively good, you can avoid any potential disagreements in the future. Oh…it says in our divorce agreement that Jane is paying for and filing for the QDRO. No discussion needed. Oh…it says in our divorce agreement that John gets first pick this year for summer vacation. The kids are going to his rental beach house. No fighting needed. At Westfield Mediation, LLC, our mediators address these potential pitfalls. It is better to have a fallback plan and never need it then have no fallback plan and need one.
To learn more about divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M. Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, at Westfield Mediation, LLC at 908.913.0373. View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com.