What Is the Ultimate Goal of the Divorce Process?
One of the goals of any divorce process should be to gain effective communication and conflict resolution skills in order to prepare parents for the future decision making requirements of raising their children with input from both parents. As we have discussed before in this blog, there are a multitude of issues which affect your child’s health and safety that parents may need to jointly decide such as immunizations, participation in youth sports and driver’s training. The ultimate goal of the divorce process is the continued protection of not just your assets but your children.
Always Be Prepared
The recent news proliferation regarding issues within the Boys Scouts organization should be making every parent reflect on whether the risks outweigh the benefits of facilitating their child’s participation in a local chapter. Now that girls are allowed to join Scouting clubs, this effects parents of all genders. Last month, after national BSA organization filed for bankruptcy, a NYT opinion editor, explains why he won’t take the risk of allowing his kids to participate in Boys Scouts, even though he acknowledges all the great life skills he acquired through scouting, having achieved the highest rank as an Eagle Scout. This has sparked an array of editorial feedback, from all over the country, touting the benefits of scouting from teaching lifesaving skills to promoting good citizenship values. But it must be taken into consideration the true fact that hundreds of lawsuits over thousands of sexual abuse predators and victims within the BSA organization, including Seattle, drove the organization to bankruptcy.
Research Any and All Activities When Your Children Are Concerned
Obviously, doing your research before giving your child permission to join a local Boy Scout club is a start. Fortunately, the Boy Scouts have adopted strong Youth Protection Policies, and are vigilantly enforcing their own rules, which do require scout leader background checks and mandatory training and reporting requirements. The Boys Scout website has excellent resources to help parents understand these policies, to know red flag signs to watch for, and safety guidelines to practice with your child. Throughout the guide it is stressed that parental involvement is a key to success. One great suggestion is to conduct a “Family Safety Night” at the beginning or the end of every school year or new activity. Reviewing rules about bike helmets, fire escape plans, and calling 911 should lead into conversations about abuse, bullying, personal safety awareness, and online safety so that they can be treated like any other concern.
It will not be an easy decision for parents to allow scouting and to commit their own time to keeping involved enough to assure their child’s safety or to trust their ex-spouse to make or share in that time commitment. The family law lawyers at Molly B. Kenny, LLC want you to complete the divorce process with the skills needed to effectively communicate with your ex-spouse and to make joint decisions about the best choices for your children. If divorce is in your future, and the safety of your children is a priority, contact the family law lawyers at Molly B. Kenny LLC for the legal help to meet these priorities.
