How To Resolve Parenting Disputes
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From Arnold W. Zeman's blog June 2009 |
We recently featured a video clip of an interview with Justice Harvey Brownstone of the North Toronto Family Court in which he brought to life the principle of acting in the best interests of the child. Here now are his 10 tips for success in resolving parenting disputes from his book, Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court:
- Be child-focused
- Learn to distinguish between a bad partner and a bad parent
- Never speak negatively to the child about the other parent
- Never argue or fight in front of children
- Listen to the other parent’s point of view even if you don’t agree with it
- Consider mediation before giving the decision-making power to a judge (emphasis added)
- Separate your financial issues from your parenting issues
- Be flexible and reasonable in making access arrangements
- Your children still see you as a family, so communicate!
- Don’t hesitate to get help (emphasis added)
This list of advice is taken from Chapter 13 of Justice Brownstone’s book. You can read Justice Brownstone’s commentary on each of these tips by clicking here for a book excerpt.
Biography
- Canadian Department of Justice advanced training in dispute resolution in the workplace;
- Carleton University Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution;
- Hofstra University Law School and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation training in transformative mediation
- Carleton University’s Centre for Conflict Education and Research training in elder care mediation, and
- Ontario Association for Family Mediation approved training in domestic violence issues in mediation and arbitration
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