Suggestions For Life After Divorce
If you have recently been through a divorce, you may be left with your finalized divorce papers, wondering – what now? The truth is that when a relationship fails and you go through the divorce process, it is very difficult to think about your future. But the reality is, your life has changed significantly. You may have more time on your hands, or you may have less time on your hands, your financial situation may look very different, you may feel like you are mourning a loss of a significant relationship. Another big change if you have children is sharing co-parenting responsibilities. You will realize quickly
The pandemic changed so many aspects of our daily life. Even now that hospitalizations and deaths are down and we have moved forward, many things that were implemented during that time period have stayed with us. For example, many of us still work primarily from home and many of us still do curbside pickup for our groceries. During the pandemic, our mediation firm moved all of our cases online, rather than conducting in person sessions in order to minimize the spread of the virus. Now that we are (for the most part) on the other side, we are in a position to take any of the positive changes
A divorce agreement is the written document that outlines the decisions (or agreements) that you make with your ex about the outstanding issues in your divorce. Very often, a divorce agreement covers the division of all of your joint property (including assets and debt), an outline of your parenting plan and/or custody agreement and spousal or child support (if necessary). Johnson Mediation can help you through the process of developing your divorce agreement through the mediation process, rather than having to go through the litigation
The holidays are fast approaching and if you have been through a divorce and are co-parenting, you likely have a parenting plan in place that outlines how your children will spend their time over the holiday season. This parenting plan or custody agreement may have been negotiated during the divorce process. However, as your kids age and family circumstances change, these parenting plans may need to be changed to meet everyone’s needs. Your kids may have different preferences, your family may have new traditions, or you or your ex may have remarried and have a blended family. Changes in a parenting plan
To be good at divorce mediation requires the development of many different kinds of skills. Good divorce mediators must have natural empathy, knowledge of divorce law (specifically Minnesota divorce law), excellent communication skills, even better listening skills, and the capacity to solve problems. In addition, good divorce mediators empower their clients to move on to the next chapters of their lives.
If you have a parenting agreement, sometimes also known as a child custody agreement, it can be modified if a change is necessary. In fact, it is nearly impossible to predict how your lives will change after divorce, activities and schedules that your kids will have as they get older, and how their needs and preferences will change. When you finalize a divorce, you create a parenting agreement that outlines child custody arrangements that are ideal for that particular time. One year later, 3 years later or 7 years later, your family’s needs may change
