Divorce can bring out the mean in people, but it doesn’t have to be that way. More British Columbia residents who are separating are embracing collaborative law suggestions and choosing to consciously uncouple with a smile on their faces. It beats a long, drawn-out litigation process.
The whole premise behind navigating divorce waters calmly is the idea that just because a couple will no longer be a couple doesn’t mean that the family has to break apart with them. Divorce seems to be on the cusp of a revolution in this instance. Some divorcing couples are viewing what was deemed as nothing but a negative for the family dynamic as a relief to a difficult situation that doesn’t have to mean the end of shared family rituals.
Former couples can choose to work together to ensure the family still does important things together like sharing Sunday dinners or cheering the kids on together at their baseball games. These kinds of issues, if initially ironed out with the assistance of mediation, can make the lives of everyone involved much less stressful. Parents’ commitments to their children continues to be “til death do us part.”
Back in the 1950s and 60s, divorce was heavily stigmatized and many children lost contact with their dads. In the late 1980s, research showed that children of divorce pay a lofty psychological price and contend with things like depression, behavioural issues and a lack of social skills enabling them to form meaningful relationships. When parents treat their divorce as a change in the family structure — rather than a rift — their children will likely be better adjusted as they continue toward adulthood.
An amicable divorce is the desired outcome of collaborative law in British Columbia. Achieving a happy divorce may not be possible in all cases, but having the couple try to cooperate with each other is a start. Collaborative divorce solutions begin with the help of a caring British Columbia lawyer experienced in family law.
Source: chatelaine.com, “It’s time to embrace the happy divorce“, Joanna Pachner, Accessed on Aug. 11, 2017