This is the next post in my Understanding Child Relocation series. My previous discussion involved the process of requesting Court permission to relocate your child outside of Nevada. After the initial hearing, parents having their case heard in Las Vegas will be required to attend Court Ordered mediation at Clark County’s Family Mediation Center. This blog post will focus on the process that occurs after the initial hearing on a relocation motion.
Agreements regarding whether children should be relocated can often be reached at a mediation
It’s natural to think that mediation is useless in relocation cases because the issue is all or nothing; a person will either be granted permission to move or they won’t. A mediator is there to facilitate discussion which focuses on the best interest of your children. The mediator is an impartial third-party who aims to steer the discussion away from emotional responses and toward some kind of understanding between the two parties involved.
If nothing else a partial resolution can be reached – you can agree as to what visitation will be if the move is approved and what it will be if the move is not approved. For example, either way, you can agree upon vacation time, summers, phone calls, Skype and Face time. You can agree upon what type of education you would like your children to have, what type of school you would like for them to attend (public or private). There are many aspects that can be worked out before a Nevada Court decides whether or not a party may relocate with a child.
Don’t agree to a child visitation schedule that will be hard to maintain after one parent relocates outside of Nevada
Often times we are so focused on getting what we want, we will promise the other party anything to get our way. A mediator, however, takes emotion out of the equation and tries to help both parties come to an arrangement that works for everyone involved.
If you are insistent upon agreeing on terms that you have no intention of following through with or you agree to something just to be done with the process, inevitably you will wind up back in court. Make sure you believe the terms of any agreement you reach are fair and reasonable. Take into consideration what will be best for your children in the long run and don’t let emotion stand in the way of doing what is best for your children. That being said, if you cannot reach an agreement that is reasonable then you should not take an unreasonable deal for the sake of wanting to settle.
The more you can agree upon before appearing in court, the better for all concerned. It is always better to come to some kind of understanding than to have the court make the decisions for you. If the Court decides everything for you, either one or both parties will be unhappy with the outcome. This is why it is best to put emotions aside and attend your mediation with an open mind.