The stakes are high in divorces involving stay-at-home parents. The wrong moves could put you at a greater disadvantage financially afterward because of the expenses. You may find it beneficial to consider divorce mediation.
Here is why mediation is a cost-effective, efficient and peaceful divorce solution for stay-at-home parents.
Mediation can keep you on track
The purpose of mediation is to help divorcing couples communicate and resolve their differences to achieve their divorce goals. A neutral third party works with each of you to identify what you want, ensure that it is reasonable and collaborate on the outcome.
The mediator’s goal is to assist you and your spouse in deciding what you each need from the situation. This gives you the opportunity to lay out the reasons that being a stay-at-home parent has put you at a financial disadvantage and identify what you need in order to become self-sufficient. When there are disagreements, the mediator can provide alternative solutions so that you and your spouse can find ways to agree, even when you do not get along.
Mediation allows the couple to control the decision-making
In a litigated divorce, the judge determines the outcome. Although there are laws in place to guide the courts in how to reach these decisions, the judge still has considerable leeway in developing your final divorce decree, and he or she may have underlying biases regarding stay-at-home parenting. By losing the decision-making authority, you and your spouse may both walk away from the courtroom unhappy.
Mediation puts the control over the outcome back in the hands of you and your spouse through the development of your own agreement.
Mediation costs less than litigation
Facing divorce without your own source of income can be scary. Mediation typically costs considerably less than a litigated divorce. It eliminates many court costs and attorney fees, and because you do not have to wait your turn on the court docket, the process typically takes much less time. By eliminating many of the expenses relating to the divorce, you and your spouse will both feel less financial pressure, which could result in less stress and a more amicable negotiation process.
