Why do some songs make you tear up and think of your children? For me, it’s Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I’ve always loved that song, but once it really got to me when I was worried about my oldest daughter who was having some young adult growing pains. And when I heard Art Garfunkel belt out those lyrics, it crystallized my feelings as a mother. We want so badly for our children to be happy, and yet we know we can’t learn life’s hard lessons for them. But we can be a bridge over troubled water for them.
The collaborative divorce process can be your bridge over troubled water, too. Your marriage is ending, and you feel like you’re living over waters running rough and scary. You don’t know how you will get out of the water and where you’ll end up. A Collaborative Divorce team can serve as that bridge over troubled waters.
In a Collaborative Divorce, both you and your partner have your own Collaboratively trained attorney, and we then work together to build that bridge. That team usually involves a neutral coach or a coach for each of you to help you with the emotions that flood in at this time. They help you manage your emotions in the meetings so that you can think with a clear head about all the decisions that you are being asked to make. The team might also include a financial neutral who helps you manage the financial requests that will be made of you during the process, such as gathering documents and analyzing what it all means.
This safe container that the collaborative professionals create for your family is the best way to ensure that you get through the divorce process as happy, healthy and ready to transition into your new life as possible. If you feel that way, you can help your children through as well. Remember when we fly, we first put on our own oxygen masks, before helping our children put on theirs. Once you’re back on your feet emotionally, you know you will be able to be a bridge over troubled water for your children down the road when they need it. Collaborative Divorce shows you how to build that bridge.
For more information, give me a call or go to www.collaborativedivorceillinois.org.