Beginning Divorce: Awkward and Hard
He unexpectedly showed up at a recent dinner party the couple had been planning long before the split. As expected, the evening was awkward (yes, I was there). For most of the night, the wife stayed in one room of their spacious house, he in another. The guests made it easier for them as we broke half one way and half the other.
Moving? Best Interest of the Child? Probably Not
Under the standard, “best interest of the child,” conditions been determined, maybe after several attempts to figure out what that exactly means. Now, with an upheaval, the situation has changed, maybe dramatically and you have to go back to the court and make your case that a move is still in the child’s best interest.
Sabotaging Your Custody Case
Judges and courts take drug/alcohol abuse seriously. If accused, allegations can be legitimized through testing, evaluations and interviews. If you have an alcohol or drug abuse problem, get help immediately, otherwise the other parent will have a strong case against you; and it may cost you joint custody or visitation.
How to Tell Your Kids You are Getting Remarried? Part 2
You have called your children together for a major announcement. You’ve removed all the distractions; you have their attention. They know you’ve been dating this woman for a while, and you like her. Of course, you’ve dated others who have come in and out of your life, never to see them again. But hey, it was fun. However, this one is different.
Seven Tips to Not Die as You Black Friday Shop
My completed bucket list of life’s greatest moments contains such jewels as: biking down the volcano tour of Haleakala in Maui, to walking Jesus’ footsteps on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. But truth be known, not even the birth of my third child Daniel, compares to Black Friday shopping.
How to Tell Your Kids You are Getting Remarried? Part 1
You’ve been divorced for a while, and you’ve slowly rebuilt your personal and maybe even professional life. You’ve settled into a new arrangement with your children, which may include a new school and home; you have put much of the divorce’s emotional trauma behind you. You’ve even taken the big plunge and started dating again.
Factual Secrets Your Attorney Needs to Know
In our lives, we will tell certain professionals information that we wouldn’t tell our spouses. We sometimes trust doctors enough to share factual secrets about our lives that we wouldn’t want anyone else to know. It’s necessary facts they need to know for the relationship to work.
Are You the Problem When Johnny Doesn’t Want to Visit?
The time has come for the *“weekend visit.”* Ever since the divorce, your child has visited the non-custodial parent, mostly without incident. However, this time is different. The child balks, drags his feet, and complains. While that might not be unusual, this time, his reaction is more determined.
Beyond Divorce to Co-Parenting
Few new situations work from the start; that new job, a move, even the joy of buying a longed-for car can temporarily *“throw us off our game.”* For a while. But we eventually work out the rough spots, develop a routine, and ultimately get comfortable in our new surroundings.
6 Ideas to Make a Smooth Divorce for Your Kids
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of my child.” It’s been estimated that between 40-50% of marriages will end in divorce, and 60% of those will involve children.
Extreme Custodial Parenting, Would You Do This?
In a previous post, “A Father’s Quest to Find His Kidnapped Daughter,” I shared a tiny about the struggle some custodial parents both male and female deal with regarding exchanges. Being the custodial parent, requires you to put your personal feelings aside and take the high road in situations you would not normally agree too.
7 Father Secrets Before Attempting Custody
If your Ex has custody of your children, and you want it changed, you have to prepare long before your court date. You should come armed with a host of documents and personal history regarding you and your children, enough to convince a judge that you can handle not just your kids,