In many states, a child custody mediation session must take place before any legal court documents can be drawn up outlining custody of the child and visitation rights. This is in an attempt to get everything settled legally and peacefully instead of having to go before a judge, which would take much more time and cost a lot more money.

The mediator for your child custody and visitation case will be a non-biased third party that is simply going to try to work with both parents in order to make sure that a fair arrangement is met. It is also the job of the mediator to make sure that each person is fully understanding of the agreement, so that there are no mistakes made. Besides things such as custody, custodianship, and regular visits, the mediator will try to help the tow of you work on things such as vacation times, holidays and any other major family issues.

There are things that you are going to want to make sure that you are keeping in mind when you prepare for a child custody mediation. The first thing is that you are going to want to go into this with an idea of what you would like the outcome to be. This way, you will not be taken off guard. However, this does not mean that you are not going to want to be open minded. When you are prepared to listen to what the other parent and the mediator have to say, you are more likely to come to an agreement that is satisfactory to all involved.

You also want to make sure that you are remembering that the mediator is not anyone that is going to care about your opinion of the other parent, what the parent said to you or who the other parent who has been hanging out with, unless it is proven that they are a real and present danger to the child. Not liking the new girlfriend because of her attitude is not something you want to point out. Check your anger at the door.

It is also important to remember that when the mediator is giving advice, he or she is doing so out of what they believe to be the best interest of the child. It is the needs of the child that will come before the desires of the parents. If the desires of the parents and the needs of the child come together nicely, then that's all the better.

Having a fair and honest mediator is incredibly crucial. This is why you are going to want to do your best to not just prepare your side of the story for the mediator, but to select the best mediator for the job. Finding a professional with experience is the best thing you can do at this point.

Author's Bio: 

My name is Matthew Brickman, I am a Florida Supreme Court certified family mediator and founder of iMediate Inc family mediation services. We mediate matters involving custody both online and in person.

You can read more about how we have helped many people handle situations just like this by reading our page on child custody mediation or watching a short video on child custody laws in Florida.