California music fans may recall that it has been approximately two years since pop music star Gwen Stefani and her then husband, Gavin Rossdale, settled their divorce. Recent news headlines, however, suggest that all is not well in the Stefani/Rossdale child custody situation. The former couple has reportedly decided to use divorce mediation to try to resolve their current disagreements.
It seems that Rossdale is unhappy about the amount of time (or lack thereof) that he gets to spend with his kids. Stefani, on the other hand, has made it clear that she finds it in her children’s best interests to spend the majority of their time with her. It has also been reported that Stefani thinks her former spouse’s lifestyle is not conducive to the stable home environment her three sons need.
Rossdale, a lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Bush, has spent much time since the former couple’s divorce traveling with his band while Stefani was living with their children. When people agree to enter mediation, it is typically because they want to resolve their differences in an amicable manner without having to go back to court. Parents using mediation for custody issues would have to be willing to cooperate and compromise to achieve an agreement that is agreeable to both parties.
Stefani has publicly spoken about her romantic relationship with country singer Blake Shelton and says her children have come to love him. Bringing new relationships into children’s lives is often a key factor in many post-divorce, child custody situations, especially if the other parent feels that the new person is somehow a detriment to his or her children. If divorce mediation proves unsuccessful, California parents can seek the court’s intervention to help them solve their custody problems.