Each January, families around the world observe International Child-Centered Divorce Month, an initiative dedicated to helping parents protect their children’s emotional health before, during, and after divorce. The campaign, founded by Rosalind Sedacca, CDC, encourages parents to make decisions guided by compassion, cooperation, and the best interests of their children.
At McMurdie Law & Mediation, we share that same philosophy. Divorce doesn’t have to damage family relationships. With the right approach, whether through mediation, collaborative divorce, or cooperative legal representation, parents can prioritize stability, love, and respect for their children’s future.
Why a Child-Centered Approach Matters
Children experience divorce differently from adults. While parents focus on legal and logistical changes, children often internalize worry, confusion, or misplaced guilt. A child-centered approach helps parents:
- Avoid exposing children to conflict or negative talk
- Maintain consistent routines and emotional stability
- Encourage open communication in age-appropriate ways
- Reinforce that both parents will continue to love and support them
As Rosalind Sedacca’s Child-Centered Divorce Network emphasizes, understanding what children truly need—security, reassurance, and healthy communication—is key to minimizing long-term emotional scars.
How McMurdie Law & Mediation Supports Child-Centered Divorce
For three decades, Cristi McMurdie has helped Arizona families transition through divorce with compassion and clarity. Her work as both an attorney and mediator focuses on reducing hostility and helping parents find common ground—essential ingredients in child-centered outcomes.
- Family Mediation – Mediation empowers parents to discuss and resolve sensitive issues, like parenting plans, holidays, and school decisions, outside of court. This process keeps control in the hands of the parents rather than a judge and models healthy communication for children.
- Collaborative Divorce – As an early advocate of collaborative law in Arizona, Cristi works with other trained professionals to support families through a non-adversarial process. The collaborative approach emphasizes teamwork and transparency, with both parents agreeing to resolve disputes respectfully and privately.
- Parenting Plan Development – Parenting plans are the foundation of a child’s post-divorce stability. McMurdie Law helps clients develop detailed, flexible agreements that balance parental involvement, educational priorities, and the unique needs of each child.
- Post-Decree Support – Even after divorce, questions arise, especially as children grow and circumstances change. McMurdie Law offers guidance on parenting plan modifications, co-parenting communication, and mediation for ongoing issues, keeping families aligned with their child-centered values.
Building Healthier Co-Parenting Relationships
A truly child-centered divorce extends beyond legal agreements. It’s about fostering mutual respect between co-parents. That means:
- Refraining from using children as messengers
- Communicating directly and calmly about parenting matters
- Supporting your child’s relationship with their other parent
- Seeking professional help when disagreements arise
Mediation and collaborative practice make this easier by providing structure and support for effective, respectful dialogue.
Join the Movement for Child-Centered Divorce
January’s International Child-Centered Divorce Month reminds us that divorce doesn’t have to define a child’s future. With empathy, patience, and the right professional guidance, families can rebuild stronger, healthier dynamics.
If you’re ready to create a more peaceful and child-focused path forward, McMurdie Law & Mediation is here to help.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how mediation or collaborative divorce can help your family through transition, without sacrificing your child’s emotional well-being.
Learn more about our family mediation services here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child-Centered Divorce
1. What does “child-centered divorce” mean in Arizona family law?
A child-centered divorce focuses on protecting a child’s emotional and psychological well-being throughout the divorce process. This means reducing conflict between parents, prioritizing stability in the child’s daily life, and encouraging both parents to stay actively involved. At McMurdie Law & Mediation, this approach guides everything we do, helping families make decisions that minimize stress and promote long-term family harmony.
2. How can mediation help make divorce more child-centered?
Mediation gives parents the opportunity to communicate directly in a calm, structured setting rather than through lawyers or in a courtroom. A trained mediator helps both parents discuss parenting time, school choices, and other issues respectfully, keeping the focus on what’s best for the children. Because mediation is cooperative and non-adversarial, it often results in more flexible and lasting agreements.
3. What if my co-parent and I disagree about what’s best for our child?
Disagreements are common, especially during stressful transitions. However, mediation or collaborative divorce can help both parents express their concerns and find middle ground. These approaches encourage understanding and problem-solving instead of blame or litigation. McMurdie Law & Mediation helps parents refocus discussions on shared goals—raising happy, healthy, and secure children.