Putting in the effort to improve communication

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If parents were prepared to spend on family mediation even a quarter of the amount they spend on legal proceedings they would transform their children’s lives.  My clients frequently complain about spending a few hundred pounds on mediation and yet go on to spend thousands, sometimes tens of thousands on litigation.  Why I wonder are they more willing to spend money on trying to prove that the other parent is wrong, than they are trying to find a solution to their problem?

The disagreements that my clients have over their children usually arise from an inability to communicate and a failure to understand each other’s point of view.  This breakdown in communication and the resulting mistrust have usually deepened over many years starting long before they separated. 

When problems have developed over a long time there will be no quick fixes.  Improving the situation will take time and commitment, but if parents are willing to work to improve the way they communicate and deal with conflict, they will transform their children’s lives and their relationships with them.

By Nicholas von Benzon

Cheltenham mediation services specialise in helping you resolve disputes involving all kinds of family relationships and issues.

Call us on 01242 220601 or email office@familymediator.org.uk

photo credit: lorenkerns via photopin cc