When I was first realized that my husband I were actually going to get “Divorced, the feelings of fear and helplessness took over.
I wasn’t sure what to do – I knew that I needed to speak to a lawyer. I felt frozen and didn’t really know what to do. The feelings of confusion and anger were overwhelming at times. On top of that, I was so worried about fighting over money, the children and the lonely months to come.
Through a friend at work, I was introduced to the process of Collaborative Divorce. At the time, I had never heard of a Collaborative Divorce. Seemed so unrealistic to have a process where divorcing couples work with their lawyers to come to a settlement that best meets the needs of all, without going to court.
My husband and I were both skeptical but decided to give it a try. Truth be told it was one of the smartest decisions we made together in a long time!!
So many divorces involving children end up with a lot of anger and conflict. We both agreed that although our marriage was not perfect – we believed in modeling to our children communication, respect and trust. We wanted them to know that we both loved them and didn’t want them to get caught up in a legal battle.
No Divorce process is easy. I had so much anger, fear and most of all sadness going into this. But through Collaborative, we ended up with a positive outcome so that we could both move on with respect and trust. And most important, an outcome that allows us to co-parent as a unit, in way that benefits our children and their future.
Lisa — 38
