If you need to undergo child custody mediation after your divorce to come to an agreement regarding your children, it's important to go into things prepared.

Any child custody agreement that's made during and after mediation could have a lasting impact on your relationship and future interaction with your children, so a lot is riding on the meetings you are going to have.

You can go into child custody mediation as prepared as possible by doing the following five things beforehand:

Try to relax before mediation meetings begin

It's easy for ex-spouses to get worked up and overly emotional about any child custody issues. However, being overly emotional can compromise the success you have in supporting your argument regarding child custody.

You need to do everything you can to go into mediation meetings as relaxed and focused as possible. Don't let yourself get carried away by emotion beforehand, or you could compromise your chances of reaching the custody agreement you desire with your ex-spouse. 

Lay out an example of an agreement regarding custody that would be acceptable to you

It's a good idea to lay out your desires regarding custody before your first mediation meeting. If you take the time to do this, the potential agreement you come up with could have a big impact on the eventual agreement you come to with your ex-spouse. 

Put together some documents and items that support your argument regarding a potential custody agreement

If there are any documents or evidence that support your case regarding child custody, make sure you bring them with you. 

Possible pieces of evidence include financial statements, reports cards regarding the academic performance of your children, and documents showing any compromising information regarding your ex-spouse, like criminal records. 

Make a list of all of the issues that are troubling you regarding a custody agreement with your ex-spouse

You'll get the most out of mediation meetings if you make a list of all the issues that you think need to be discussed beforehand.

Write down anything that concerns you about your ex-spouse having custody or visitation rights regarding your child or children. This way you won't forget to bring up important details during mediation meetings.

Discuss everything with your lawyer before mediation begins

Most likely, you have never been to a child custody mediation meeting before. On the other hand, your lawyer is likely to be highly experienced with these meetings.

Make sure you mine your lawyer for information and advice before mediation begins. Contact a lawyer like Carmen DiAmore-Siah Attorney At Law for additional information and advice.