Today I was just about finished writing a very exciting blog post about student loan debt in divorce when my phone rang.  I stopped writing to speak with opposing counsel in a custody modification case.  She called to give me the sad news that her client was killed in a car accident yesterday.   It got me thinking about how much we all take for granted that we will make it home safely every time we set out on the road.  We also take for granted that the other people in our lives will all make it home safely, too.

In dealing with child custody cases on a daily basis, I see many parents who love their children more than life itself but who truly despise the other parent of those children.  (To be clear, that was not the case in the situation today, but it just got me thinking in general.) Some disputes are huge with very legitimate concerns, others are small with much more minor concerns.  Today a new concept entered my mind that really had never occurred to me before when thinking about child custody litigation.  At the end of the day, how would your child feel if the other parent were suddenly gone forever?   In the end, we all love our children and want what is best for them.  In the vast majority of cases, it is best for the child to have a relationship with both parents.  Treating your child’s other parent with kindness can really go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.  I think if most separated parents would treat their ex with kindness, it would make a huge impact on their children.

For those of us who are married (or with the other parent of our children), we can use this reminder, too.  Have you ever said something unkind about your spouse in front of your children?  Have you gone to bed annoyed at your spouse for not doing the dishes?  I am choosing to use this reminder to show kindness to the father of my children, especially in front of my children.  I pray that I never have to be their only parent, but if the unthinkable ever happens, I would hope that being kind to their father now would result in a better long-term outcome for them.

While we’re at it, we can all probably use a reminder to show kindness to our children and our parents.  I certainly don’t want the last thing my daughter remembers about me to be yelling at her for making pancakes at 5:45 am this morning (true story).  Hug your children a little tighter and show love and kindness to everyone (even when they may not seem to deserve it), since we never really know what tomorrow may hold.