In this ever-changing world in which we live in, few words are truly timeless. Nevertheless, a judge in Minnesota has seen advice he gave nearly 20 years ago find a new audience recently. After reading his blunt words of wisdom, readers may agree that the advice will remain just as relevant in another 20 years.
The context of the admonition came during child custody proceedings. The parents involved were getting divorced and the split was contentious. At some point the judge had had enough. He cut off the bickering and spoke up. He reminded the parents that the children were the product of the two of them. They were, effectively, one half of each parent.
The judge used this logic to reprimand the parents for talking poorly about the other. Every time a parent calls the other parent an idiot, he or she is essentially calling half of a child an idiot as well, he said. He pleaded with the parents not to do that with their kids.
When laid out like that in black and white, the mandate seems obvious and easy to achieve. But, those involved in a divorce know that emotions can get the best of them. Deciding issues of property and parenting time can bring out the worst in anyone and kids often have to bear the brunt of that burden.
Local St. Paul attorneys, though, can help parents avoid these issues. By easing the divorce process and effectuating an agreeable split, local professionals can help parents eliminate or manage many of the emotions that can be so damaging to children.
While many parents think that they can handle a divorce on their own, such bravado can end up doing more harm than good. An attorney can often help not only with an legal issues, but also with communication between former spouses, easing tension before resulting in harming arguments in front of the children. Eliminating the stress of a split in such a way can be priceless when starting anew.
Source: Huffington Post, “Parenting After Divorce: Minnesota Judge’s Profound Advice for Divorced Parents,” May 15, 2013