Thinking About Life after Divorce

[mulesqb]

And of course STBXW got angry, called me a bunch of names, and stormed out.

Did the mediator witness this??

Once she left, the mediator gave me his $.50 worth of advice. In his opinion she is in an emotional crisis and is incapable of considering shared custody. Working for the court it's his job to get cases to close via settlement. He then asked me to consider being the one to give in and compromise because she would never be able to.

Thinker, if you guys are at an impasse here with the mediator, you may want to consider going to court over this, especially if someone is witnessing this behavior. Does your STBXW act like this around the children?? If so, you may want to hire a law guardian. The law guardian can help decide what's best for the children. The court usually appoints one, but in my case my lawyer had me hire one. It never came to fruition of him actually working,but it certainly scared my XW, who quite frankly didn't have to accept him as law guardian. But she was in such a fog she didn't know any better.

She has a lot of arguments she uses for custody, but only one that is real. She argues that she should have custody because I have to work during the day.

That's a load of crap. All you have to do is show that you are capable of getting the kids to school, home from school, etc..whether it family help or hiring someone to help. The court wants to see that the kids can be put in a comfortable routine that is conducive to a steady lifestyle.

Does the court ever take into account that even if she is not working now, she will have to work to support herself after the D. Therefore the choice is between two parents who have to work full time, not between one who does and one who doesn't?

Yes, that is why I told you the other day to get working on her marketability and provide your lawyer with that info and then turn the lawyer loose on that.

Strength and Honor.

Mules