Is winning worth it - or can you gain more by setting early?

The cost of winning in a family law dispute might sometimes not be worth the potential damage and harm suffered in the process of winning. Pursuing small differences over long periods of haggling may be a waste of emotional and relationship resources, as well as money. Ask yourself – is it worth it?

You may find at the end of the process that you have lost your health, the good opinion of your children, your conscience, and the future relationship to cooperative parenting with your former partner. Not to mention your legal fees! Many people find that “winning” did not achieve the results they were hoping for originally. They find that “real” winning is more about the ability to move on with your and your children’s life, in a healthy, positive way. Moving on with a positive self-image, a sustainable lifestyle, good relationships and good health (physically and emotionally).

Every week that a family law dispute carries on and on, adds to the damage that you and your children may suffer. Destructive communications, that often form part of this process, adds to the potential damage suffered by you and your children. Damage to your emotional state and to the prospects of recovery accrue every day or week.

Some people spend years of their lives engaged in a dispute about property and parental arrangements. They lose much of the settlement in legal fees and suffer from depression and ill health. Their career paths are negatively affected, and their children are sad and unsettled.

The choice is yours

Settling the dispute early, even if you feel that you are giving in a dispute, or settling for less, may well be the best outcome in the long run. You may be able to re-establish good relationships and return to a state of normality fairly soon. In doing that, you may retain the potential to negotiate and reach suitable and satisfactory arrangements in the future, at least in parenting matters.

It is important to get a realistic idea of your prospects on the legal issues early on in the process. Making some concessions, early on, maybe the most productive and positive way out of the process. Remember, it is your choice! You can choose, at any point, to win back your emotional equilibrium, your children’s well-being and move forward with a productive and sustainable lifestyle. You can choose to close the deal on the right terms right now!