There are 13.6 million single parents raising 21 million children in the U.S. The 2010 census reported that 40.7% of new births in the U.S. were to unmarried women. Mediation can be a valuable tool for unmarried parents to establish effective co-parentings agreements. Issues that remain unsettled add to the disharmony, strife, and resentment of these parents and set a tone that leads the children toward emotional damage. What are some of the co-parenting pitfalls that can overcome in mediation?

When is each parent going to have possession of the child?
Who is responsible for transporting the child between parents’ homes?
What outside care-takers are acceptable to both parents? Who’s to pay?
Who is to provide health, dental, and vision insurance for the child?
How about the co-pays, deductibles and non-covered items?
Will there be a parent designated as primary custodian (parent A)?
How about child support? Who pays and how much?
Should alcohol and recreational drugs be prohibited during possession of the child?
What limitations can be agreed to regarding exposing the child to new romantic interests?
Who is to decide and who is to pay for summer camps and other extracurricular activities?

All of these obstacles and more can be addressed and resolved in a written settlement agreement negotiated with the help of an experienced family mediator.

Jerrell “Jerry” Cosby is one of the most experienced mediators in in the field. He is Owner and Divorce Mediator at Texas Mediation Group in Fort Worth, Texas. Jerry began mediating family related cases in 1999. He has mediated hundreds of divorce cases. In 2020 he was named “Tops in Tarrant” by the readers of Society Life Magazine.

9500 Ray White Rd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76244
817-300-6666
Jerry@TexasMediationGroup.com
www.texasmediationgroup.com