Divorce can force a former stay at home mom to suddenly be propelled back into the workforce. This can have a devastating effect on the mother who has been planning on staying home with her child. Many women fear that their child may not be cared for as well and thrive at a childcare facility.

Having a preschool aged child is a lot of work. Getting divorced when you have a preschooler presents even more challenges. This article will help parents make compassionate choices when dealing with their preschooler’s pre-divorce angst and when making child custody determinations.

For many individuals, getting divorced forces them to dive deep into the world of personal finance . . . sometimes kicking and screaming. It is a necessary part of everyday life, though, and everyone needs to have a decent understanding of money. As a divorce mediator with specialized credentials – I am Certified as a Divorce Financial Analyst™ -- I spend a lot of time making sure that both parties to a divorce have the requisite financial knowledge to move forward with their lives as independents (not married).

Children, too, often get an unanticipated education in family finance when their parents get divorced.

Graine Mediation is pleased to introduce Kristine Meldrum Denholm as our guest blogger this week.  Kristine is an award-winning journalist who often publishes stories related to families, health and emotional well-being.

If you model good communication with your spouse during a divorce, it can be a helpful lesson to your kids in learning how to handle conflict, say experts in both law and mental health.

Parenting is a one-shot deal. As a 10-year veteran of divorce, my former husband and I have made it our goal to keep our children the focus, despite our own differences and troubles. When we negotiated our divorce settlement, we keyed-in on the fact that we only had one chance to get it right in raising our son (who was then 9 years old) and daughter (who was then 7 years old).

The goal, in divorce, should always be to make the situation better – or at least reasonably comfortable -- for everyone in the family.

It is so easy to continue being angry or in a constant state of irritation with your ex-spouse . . . but, if you have a Shared Physical Custody Arrangement, that anger and irritation will eventually get in the way of successfully co-parenting your children.

Spending uninterrupted time with your child or children after a divorce can be the only thing that feels right in the aftermath of  a divorce.  Though divorce is not recommended, it often wakes parents up to the idea that time with their children is precious and that their children's youth is fleeting.