Parenting Coordinator an option to settle differences

My husband keeps telling me we need either a Guardian Ad Litem or a Parenting Coordinator to help us figure out our parenting problems. He wants to know which I would agree to using. I really don’t understand how these people are different and I feel like I hear friends refer to them interchangeably. I know what our problems are — we are totally different people. We have different parenting styles, don’t communicate well, even have different religions and holidays. How will these people help? Which one should I choose?

Generally speaking, it isn’t an “either-or” scenario. They are entirely different roles. A Guardian Ad Litem, or “GAL,” is either a lawyer or mental health professional appointed by the judge to investigate and/or make recommendations with regard to certain issues such as legal custody, parenting time or whether children should be permitted to relocate with a parent out of state. Once the GAL completes the investigation and writes a report, his or her job is done unless one of you later calls the GAL as a witness at the time of a trial.

A Parenting Coordinator on the other hand is more of a long-term person. The court will not appoint a PC, rather you and your husband would have to agree to hire one. PCs can also be either lawyers or mental health professionals. They should have you sign a contract spelling out clearly the terms of their appointment including duration of the appointment, powers you are granting them and how they are compensated.

The controversial part about having a PC is most are given decision-making power. You can think of the PC as a tiebreaker when you need one but some people complain PCs are acting like judges without being appointed by the governor. Also if they rule against you, their decision is generally binding until you get a court to reverse it. More often than not, by the time you file the paperwork to get in front of a judge the issue for which a PC has made a decision has come and gone. For example, a PC might decide whether your children will go to a religious event the other parent disproves of or on a big field trip out of state that the other parent believes the child doesn’t deserve due to poor behavior or grades, etc.

I do not have enough information about your situation to tell you which professional is right for your situation. What I can tell you is you seem to know the problems you and your husband have. If you can live with your differences and agree it is best for your children that they spend ample time with each of you, you do not need a GAL. Once you agree on the time your children will spend with each of you, a PC should be able to help you navigate the hiccups that will surely come up as life moves on.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/32cyxPA