ASIAN PROVERBS: elephants remember

When elephants battle the ants become victims

In any battle there will always be non-combatants who may be harmed by the war. In family mediation, it is usually easy to see who is bearing the brunt of the collateral damage, the children. 
 
It can be difficult when a parent is engaged in what can feel like an existential fight to have capacity to focus on their children.  The original choice to have children with the now ex-partner is long-forgotten. Instead, all of the negatives regarding the adult relationship and every fault as a parent are thrown into high relief.
 
The truth is that there are no perfect parents.  The truth is that at some stage these parents decided to have children together. The truth is that the hurt and pain experienced as an ex-partner, needs to be put aside in order to facilitate a relationship of co-parenting for the benefit of the children.  The truth is that no-one wants to hear this.
 
As a family mediator, I have an ethical duty to assist parents to keep their children’s best interests in focus.  Using psycho-social education and research, there are ways for parents to find a path through the chaos to enable their children to survive and thrive the family’s transition through a parental separation.

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