A well-known parable tells the story of a ruler asked to resolve a dispute between two women, each claiming to be a child’s mother. Faced with an impossible choice, the ruler proposed an extreme solution—one that ultimately revealed which woman was truly acting in the child’s best interests.

But family disputes today rarely involve one “right” parent and one “wrong” one. More often, they involve two loving, capable parents who both want what is best for their child.

 

In these circumstances, there is no way to truly divide a child’s life. Even the most carefully designed parenting plan cannot eliminate the emotional difficulty of spending time apart from one’s child, and the reality of that separation can be deeply painful.

 

Mediation acknowledges this complexity. It centers the best interests of the children while giving parents a confidential, nonjudgmental, and collaborative space to explore practical, thoughtful solutions-solutions that meet their children’s needs and support a cooperative, healthy co-parenting relationship moving forward.