ABSTRACT
Twenty-first century family courts need better ways to help divorcing and separating parents minimize the impact of conflict on their children. Social attitudes towards marriage, divorce, and separation have changed radically in the last half-century. What were once comparatively rare, fault-based events discouraged by convention are today predictable stages in the lifecycle of an American child. Family court caseloads arising from divorce and separation spiral ever upward with no stopping point in sight. Evidence continues to accumulate that a child’s future welfare depends on her parents’ ability to help her navigate the experience without lasting scars caused by parental bickering and instability.
