For many of us, our single family status has a legal component. We have either been through a separation or a divorce, or there may have been a death, or even if we became single parents by choice—there may be custody agreements and legal documents that help clarify our family status. Anyone who has ever been through a legal process can testify that these sorts of things take time. It can make it challenging to heal and get on with our lives when legal issues can really take a very long time…
Keeping the legal pieces of our lives separate from the every-day business of taking care of a growing family can be really tough. Ongoing legal things can be exhausting and stressful—not to mention expensive. But, I do think it helps to get things in perspective and expect that it will take a while. By knowing that there will be resolution, but it will take some time, we can free ourselves up to make sure we don’t lose sight of what is going on right under our noses too.
Children still need care and love and there are still opportunities for fun and pleasure. Kids grow up so fast and our lives can change rapidly in many other ways—even if the legal stuff is dragging on. Understanding that can help us to focus on the details of daily living instead of getting consumed with trying to control and manage the legal aspects. It also helps to get a trusted attorney and legal team—these folks can help keep us on track and take care of things. Knowing that we are in good hands takes some of the worry away.
I am definitely NOT suggesting that you let things go—legal issues do need to be tended to and we do need to make sure that our families are legally protected, but by expecting that things won’t be resolved overnight in most cases, we can detach in some healthy ways and focus on the joys of living in the moment too.
Also: Finding a Family Law Attorney
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