Divorce is hard, whether you have children or not. Inevitably, there is a sense of failure followed by feelings of apathy, betrayal, or indifference towards the soon to be ex-spouse. In this scenario, you may need all the help you can get to deal with the divorce.

Irreconcilable differences occur when a married couple finds it very hard to communicate in any reasonable manner, leading to a complete breakdown in communications. There can be many reasons for one half of the couple or even both of them feeling that way. It is not necessary to state your reasons; just stating that since there are “irreconcilable differences” is enough. In such a scenario even discussing the details of the impending divorce and the subsequent discussion of the marital properties and other assets as well as any custody issues often becomes impossible.

When you are negotiating terms for divorce it is necessary to hire a good lawyer who can articulate your case and needs in front of a judge convincingly. In Florida, depending on how you file your divorce suit, the terms can be decided by yourselves with the help of a qualified mediator, or can be decided by a judge. Deciding on the visitation plans, which means deciding how, when and where the child or children of the divorcing couple will spend time with the parent who doesn’t have physical custody of them is a very delicate matter, fraught with great potential for long term emotional complications for the children.

Under Florida state laws, when a couple files for divorce, it is mandatory for them to go through the mediation process if it is a contested divorce. This mandatory rule is not an attempt to try and preserve the family unit, but to facilitate the smooth sharing of custody of any children and the marital assets, especially when children are involved. The mediation process is meant to help the divorcing couples deal with the necessary processes to split their assets and child care, child support, and other expenses without resorting to acrimonious exchanges and attacks on each other.

Most men, after they have been through the wringer of divorce, begin to lose direction as dads. In most cases, the emotional upheaval of losing the physical custody of their children to their ex-wives results in their inability to cope with the same. They often begin to enter into despair with the thought of remaining emotionally close and relevant in their children’s lives. This leaves them trying to do too much or not enough to remain in contact with their children and the children often end up just confused and hurt.