Perhaps no other subject can be quite as troublesome as determining custody of a child or children during a divorce. The child or children in question are flesh and blood, descendants of both parents and loved without question. Regardless of the disagreements between parents, both parties want the absolute best for their children. The problem arises when both parties disagree on what constitutes the best.
Approaching child custody issues without acrimony is a vital first step toward reaching an agreement that best suits your family. Williamson, Clune & Stevens, divorce attorneys in Ithaca, Syracuse and Elmira, can help.
Emotions Always Get in the Way of Sound Decisions
Without a doubt, determining child custody arrangements involves serious emotion. Both parties typically want custody, or at least a majority of the time and control over their children. When acrimonious relations between the parents are a factor, emotionally charged discussions are all too common. And, it is common knowledge that no one ever really wins an argument.
Allowing emotion to enter into discussions is a sure way to raise the tension level and complicate the base issue. Emotions can drive us to extremes and make us unwilling to listen to reason and face facts. For example, inordinate anger toward our spouse can make us unwilling to accept the fact that he or she can provide the most stable and beneficial living environment and other arrangements for our children.
Emotion can also cause us to make decisions in an effort to hurt our spouse instead of benefit our children. Efforts to damage one another only complicate matters, and your children are really the only parties that lose in these situations.
Working Together and Trusting Reason Can Avoid Contention
Williamson, Clune & Stevens is an experienced family law firm in Ithaca, Syracuse and Cortland, NY. We have the skills and knowledge to help both parties in a divorce come to reasonable and beneficial custody arrangements. Having a trusted, unbiased third party involved to guide negotiations and mediate differences is always helpful. Our skilled attorneys know how to maintain calm and use reason to help both parties work together to avoid contention.
Our many years of experience helping New York families just like yours have taught us numerous ways to negotiate and find solutions for the most complex family and custody differences. We want to find the absolute best custody arrangements possible for your family, just as you do – and we are willing to work hard to make that happen.
In addition, the family courts look favorably on cases where both parents have been involved in forming a fair, equitable and beneficial custody agreement that clearly has the children’s best interests in mind. In cases where the parents simply cannot agree and the court must step in and order the arrangements, it is seldom what the family wishes.
When you need sound advice, mediation and representation in divorce and custody issues in New York, contact Williamson Clune & Stevens. We have the seasoned experience and knowledge of family law matters and personal relationships to help you navigate these troubled waters smoothly.