The May Flowers After April Showers

In a very short period of time, COVID-19 has taught us that it is imperative that co-parents work cooperatively in their child(ren)’s best interests. In recent weeks, I’ve been touched by unusually effective levels of communication and cooperation between parents who share custody of child(ren). It seems as though many parties have been able to put their differences and disagreements aside and focus instead on their child(ren)’s safety and well-being. In my humble opinion, COVID-19 has provided all parents (whether divorced, not living together, or even married) with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen parenting relationships and to use the circumstances to overcome past adversity and resentment.

The keys to taking advantage of this opportunity are mindfulness and improved communication. In every aspect of life, thoughtful communication is critical to success. Emerging from COVID-19 and the backlog of Chandler family law cases due to social distancing limitations, effective communication will be vital to the resolution of disputes in divorce/custody cases. With trials being scheduled 8+ months out (in many cases), litigants should strongly consider the use of mediation to quickly resolve their case. If communication improves, as I sincerely hope, so will the effectiveness of mediation. (See GuymonLaw.com/articles for more on the benefits of Chandler legal mediation.) If our “Mayflower” following these difficult times is improved communication, success in all facets of life will increase exponentially. For divorce and custody disputes, specifically, the May flowers of lessons learned should drastically reduce hostility between parents and the need for court intervention or at least a willingness to mediate. It is my sincerest hope for all our children that improved communication and the spirit of working together long outlives COVID-19.