Senior assistance: Helping grandchildren through their parents’ divorce

Diane M. Berry

Wisbar.org

In recent years, some forward thinking attorneys developed the process of Collaborative Divorce in an effort to minimize the bitterness and hostility that are often byproducts of the divorce process and to create a more amicable resolution to the end of a relationship. This manner of divorcing tends to provide a higher level of support for the parties and assists them in maintaining their relationship at a healthier level, which should enable them to more successfully co-parent in the future. But what about the children?

While the children of divorce do benefit from this collaborative system as well, they have need of additional assistance and support when faced with familial divorce. Grandparents can provide a crucial aspect of that support. When counseling grandparents, attorneys can provide invaluable assistance in setting the tone and stage for their role in providing care and constancy for their grandchildren. Further, when advising clients whose children are divorcing, these ideas can not only help to preserve the relationships involved, but also save clients years of frustration and heartache from being embroiled in bitter custody and visitation disputes.

Source: http://www.wisbar.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=InsideTrack&Template=/CustomSource/InsideTrack/contentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=86811