8 Reasons Not To Introduce a New Love To Your Kids…Yet

Dating after divorce can be exciting but confusing when you have children. You may wonder: When is it a good time to introduce my new love interest to my kids? While it’s normal to seek solace, companionship, and a sexual relationship after a breakup, it’s crucial to take it slow so you can assess whether this relationship is casual or might be permanent.

In this excellent blog posting, Terry Gaspard offers 8 reasons not to introduce a new love to your kids too soon.

Divorce During COVID – How We Have Adapted

Like almost everything else in life, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly altered the practice of family law. With court closures and social distancing measures, the court system, mediators, and clients have turned to technology to keep the divorce process moving along. Family law matters such as divorce and paternity can be difficult and complex, so the idea of using a virtual meeting platform, like Zoom, for mediator-client consultations, mediations, and hearings was initially met with skepticism. As a client, you may wonder, as we once did, whether these meetings and proceedings can be effective if they are not handled in person. After all, divorce and paternity matters often involve highly sensitive issues such as parenting, time-sharing, child support, and alimony.

Before the pandemic, it may have been difficult to imagine going through the process of divorce without meeting in person. Thanks to today’s virtual meeting technology, you can still feel connected and supported during every step of the process.

The Consultation During your initial consultation, you’ll begin to establish a relationship with your mediator that will grow as you work together navigating through the legal process. While you may now be logging in for a virtual consultation from your home as opposed to visiting your mediator’s office, you will still be able to make eye contact, hear encouraging words of support and guidance, and discuss the legal process in a meaningful manner.

Communication Virtual meeting platforms have made videoconferencing the new norm, largely replacing traditional telephone conferences and in-person meetings. Communications with your mediator will be much more convenient since your conferences can now occur from any location, at any mutually agreeable time. Features such as screen sharing also make meetings more productive since you can review documents together and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Hearings Since the court system has transitioned to virtual hearings, you will now appear in court by logging in from a comfortable location of your choosing. On your screen, you’ll be able to see the judge as well as the other party. Your testimony will be taken virtually. Many clients have even found it to be less intimidating and more comfortable to participate virtually from their home or other preferred location rather than appearing in-person.

Aside from occasional interruptions and delays due to connection issues, this process operates rather smoothly, with judges able to go through their docket in the same manner as in-person hearings. Additionally, these virtual hearings save on travel time, parking garage fees, and courtroom waiting times, where you can spend a significant amount of time outside of the courtroom just waiting for your case to be called.

Although the pandemic adds another layer, divorce and other family law matters can be handled efficiently in a virtual environment.

Parental Steps to Reduce the Emotional Harm of Divorce on Children

As a marriage dissolves, some parents find themselves asking questions like, “Should we stay together for the kids?” Other parents find divorce is their only option.

And while all parents may have many worries on their mind—from the future of their living situation to the uncertainty of the custody arrangement—they may worry most about how the children will deal with the divorce.

So what are the psychological effects of divorce on children? Researchers say it depends. While divorce is stressful for all children, some kids rebound faster than others. The good news is, parents can take steps to reduce the psychological effects of divorce on children.

In this excellent article, James Lite offers a few supportive parenting strategies that can go a long way to helping kids adjust to the changes brought about by divorce.

7 Co-Parenting Communication Tips

 It is a well-known fact that the life of a child with divorced parents is not the same as the life of those with parents who are still together. But the truth is, divorce happens much more often than in the past.

And during a divorce, it is the children who tend to suffer the most. This is why it’s the job of the parents to join forces and protect their children despite their differences and make this change bearable for their children. This, of course, is a challenge on its own.

People who go through life believing that co-parenting is simple can be mistaken. “People split for a reason and most of the time, communicating daily is torture to them. Still, children need a well-established communication between their parents – that is, if they want to raise them well and without deep psychological scars from the divorce,’’ explains Sam Torres, a psychology writer at edugeeksclub.com.

In this excellent blog posting, Audrey Lamp writes that "all that being said, co-parenting partners have it harder than parents who raise their children under one roof." This is a challenging process that can be made easier with Ms. Lamp's co-parenting communication tips:

• Discuss Co-Parenting Before You Finalize the Divorce
• Find the Best Way to Communicate with Your Ex
• Minimize Conflict
• Stop Bad-Mouthing Your Ex
• Keep Your Focus on Your Children
• Stop Trying to Control Your Ex
• Use the “10-Second Rule”