No matter how difficult the situation, there is tremendous value in a parent being prepared when meeting a mediator, lawyer, therapist, evaluator or a judge, and most of all when meeting with the other parent. Working on a parenting plan together helps the communications between the parents as they change from an intimate to a business relationship. Nobody else understands their child like they do, and nobody else can anticipate their child's needs like they can. No two families are alike, therefore it is impossible to use a cookie cutter to stamp out agreements that suit every family. Completing a parent plan helps greatly in overcoming the difficulties of the separation.
Parents calm down their emotions, redefine their lives and move on.
The family reorganization is unlikely to proceed in a satisfactory way unless this is done. Dr. A. Jayne Major is the founder of The Parenting Connection, Inc. and a recipient of numerous awards for educating over 12,000 parents in the last 16 years. Return to Articles Section of Tennessee Mediators Network TMN is looking for guest authors in the field of mediation to share their knowledge with Tennessee Mediators. If you would like to submit an article, please send it via e-mail or snail mail to our address below. All Mediation related articles will be considered and credit be given to the author by name and e-mail or web site address link.