When violence strikes, don’t give love a second chance. A restraining order will help your custody case.
Posted October 31st, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Domestic Violence, Family Law.
Long before couples get divorced or find themselves in child custody cases, they may have fights that turn violent. Domestic violence is, of course, a serious matter, and the family courts around the country are prepared to issue restraining orders and temporary custody orders to deal with violent persons and their victims. But just as […]
Read MoreBack to school before back to court: Take a class with your child and gain an advantage in your custody case.
Posted October 30th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
An excellent way to improve your stake in a child custody case is to take a class with your child. Sign up for a cooking class with your teen. Or sign up for karate together. Enroll in a summer basketball camp – both of you – and complete the program together. Join an art club […]
Read MoreWhisper, Whisper, Not a Good Idea. Avoid discussing the other parent in the presence of the child.
Posted October 29th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Can you believe that Mr. Creepo wants full custody now? You won’t believe what that &$!#!! told the judge about me? Guess what that loser-ex-wife of mine is offering me in visitation time? When the heat of a child custody battle rises to the surface, parents tend to talk openly about each other. In fact, […]
Read MoreShare children’s grades and unify system of rewards and punishments
Posted October 28th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Do you know your child’s grades in reading, mathematics and other subjects? Does your ex-spouse know? If you’re not aware of your child’s current level of scholastic achievement, or if you’re not sharing information with another parent, you may be harming your chances for custody and/or visitation rights. Ask the mother in McCoy vs. McCoy, […]
Read MoreEat up! Feed your kids well right before they go to visit your ex.
Posted October 27th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It’s not uncommon for one parent to feed the children better than the other. When custody is divided between two households, the kids tend to eat better, and more nutritionally, at one home than the other. In the best of all worlds, both parents would be healthy eaters who would pass on wholesome, low-fat, nutritional […]
Read MoreDon’t allow tattoos, piercings or blue hair on your children without the other parent’s consent
Posted October 26th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Has this happened in your family? Your child leaves your home on a Friday for an ordinary visit with your ex-spouse and comes back on Sunday looking like a monster. Without your knowledge or consent, your child suddenly has an enormous tattoo on her chest, or your seven-year-old son has a nose ring. Or worse […]
Read MoreNever monitor or record phone calls with the other parent
Posted October 25th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Tell me if this has happened in your home. The kids are with their other parent and you’re on the telephone talking to them, and you can hear in the background that the other parent is listening in, or coaching the children what to say. Bad news! Don’t let the other parent participate in your […]
Read MoreAn apple a day keeps the custody judge away: How healthy eating habits for your kids will improve your custody case
Posted October 24th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Do you really need somebody to tell you these days not to feed your kids high calorie, high-fat foods? I’m sure you know the highs and lows: Keep your kids high (in fiber) and low (in fat), and give them snacks and meals that provide calcium, iron, and other important vitamins and minerals. What many […]
Read MoreYou don’t want custody of your kids. What you really want is….
Posted October 23rd, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
…parenting time. Or perhaps parental access, or maybe shared parenting rights. Depending on what state you live in, you might have noticed recently that many courts have stopped using the words “custody” and “visitation.” Instead, they’re now using more neutral terms such as “parenting time” or “shared parental responsibility.” Why? For many years, the award […]
Read MoreNever miss your time with the kids….without rescheduling.
Posted October 22nd, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Let’s face it. Things happen, and sometimes you cannot keep your scheduled visit with the kids. Or if you’re the custodial parent, sometimes an emergency requires you to give up your time with the kids for a few hours or a day. Sudden developments at work, family issues, perhaps even your own illness – all […]
Read MoreKeep tabs on cancellations; they may provide powerful ammunition in custody court
Posted October 21st, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Are your children often dejected and dismayed because the other parent continuously misses scheduled visitations? Are you dealing with an absentee father or a missing mother? If your situation involves a parent who gets a joint custody or visitation order and then ignores his or her own rights, then you need to maintain very careful […]
Read MoreDon’t coach your child in preparation for the interview by the judge
Posted October 20th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Here’s a funny story. Or maybe it’s no so funny. We were representing a father who wanted custody of his daughters. The mother adamantly objected to a change in custody. For a year, the children had been shuttling back and forth between the parents’ homes, and it was time to pick a primary residence in […]
Read MoreGetting a dog or a cat could take a bite out of your adversary’s custody case
Posted October 19th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Do you have a dog at home? A cat? And how do your kids relate to these lovable pets? Judges don’t like to take children away from their pets. Having a pet as part of the family can help your claim for custody on many levels: First, it paints the picture of a full family, […]
Read MoreMake sure your children’s ID cards match your address
Posted October 18th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It sounds like a routine administrative task, but it could have important consequences in a custody case: Make sure your children’s identification cards and registration records reflect your home address. Especially where the child has been moving between one parent and another, or where the family has moved recently as a whole, it is important […]
Read MoreShare your court orders with school officials and camp counselors.
Posted October 17th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
A court order is more powerful if you put it in the hands of teachers, coaches and camp counselors. Not every custody order needs to be passed around, but it may be a good idea – depending on the nature of your case – to circulate copies of your court orders among the authorities and […]
Read MoreBe kind to mother nature, and she’ll let you keep your kids.
Posted October 16th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
We live at a time when the world is very concerned about environmental health and safety. Every day, we read about oil spills, global warming, nuclear energy, endangered species and pandemics. Because these are such pressing issues, they are also well-known to the courts. They should also be known to your children as well. Kids […]
Read MoreDesign a social flowchart for each of your children.
Posted October 15th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Quick, in two minutes, can you name each of your children’s friends and schoolmates, their parents’ names, and each of the activities through which the friendships were forged? If not, you should draw a social flowchart. A social flowchart is essentially a family tree for friends. It connects your child to each of his friends, […]
Read MoreWhy join the Y? Score a few points by signing your kids up for the Y, the Little League or the Scout Troop.
Posted October 14th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
What organizations do your children belong to, outside of school? If your community sponsors its own recreational programs, think about signing up. If not, think about signing up for programs at the local YMCA or sister organizations. The same goes for joining the Little League or the locally sponsored Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts […]
Read MoreDon’t let children use Facebook as a platform for venting or gossiping about the family.
Posted October 13th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It should come as no surprise to anyone these days, but careless comments on Facebook can get you in trouble. The same goes for your kids who may be using social media sites to vent about their frustrations with parents or to gossip about family members. There’s no practical way to kick your kids off […]
Read MoreDon’t send your child to your ex looking like Oliver Twist.
Posted October 12th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Here’s a story that I hear at least five times a year: “My ex-wife dropped the kids off to spend the weekend with me, and they were dressed in tattered jeans and raggedy shirts, and they looked like a pair of poor orphans.” Or, “my carefree ex-husband returned the kids in ripped pants and stained […]
Read MoreAward points for good behavior; take them away for misbehavior.
Posted October 11th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Some families operate like a well-oiled machine, each member taking responsibility for his or her space and working together as a team. Parents are often lucky to have courteous children who clean up after themselves, maintain the household, and follow sanitary bathroom etiquette. In other families, however, the kids seem to reject the rules. Perhaps […]
Read MoreConduct a Fire Safety Audit at your home
Posted October 10th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
When was the last time you inspected your chimney or wood stove? Do your kerosene heaters meet building safety codes? Do your kids know the rules regarding electric outlets, plugs and switches? If you haven’t thought about these things for awhile, it’s time for a household fire safety audit. Conduct a thorough investigation of all […]
Read MoreBefore you kiss your new partner, look over your shoulder…the kids may be watching you.
Posted October 9th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
After a divorce, it’s natural for parents to enter the dating scene again. In fact, a new relationship may have formed long before the divorce became final. Not uncommonly these days, separated parents begin living with new partners or at least openly dating them – before the bonds of matrimony are dissolved on the first […]
Read MoreIt’s not the “amount” of time you spend, it’s the way you spend it with the children.
Posted October 8th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Meet Jack. He’s the father of two boys. Since the date of divorce, he has filed 12 motions in Family Court to increase his parenting time. As Jack sees it, there will be no justice in this world until he has custody of his sons at least 50 percent of the time. For Jack, joint […]
Read MorePhotograph the extended family with the children, but avoid the posed pictures.
Posted October 7th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Many families embroiled in a child custody case like to supply their lawyers with photos of the children in the company of the extended family. Happy shots of the children and their grandparents, stepbrothers, and cousins may make a favorable impression, but they are not always admissible or relevant, and they are not always particularly […]
Read MoreArbitrate. Don’t Litigate. How to Keep the Judge Out of the Picture.
Posted October 6th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
We’ve all heard about mediation, but what about arbitration? In mediation, the parents try to settle their custody dispute in the presence of a third party who is usually a lawyer or other specialist serving as a court-appointed mediator. The mediator literally sits on the median – in the middle – trying to nudge the […]
Read MoreBe Patriotic – Follow the Children’s Bill of Rights.
Posted October 5th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It may not be a constitutional Bill of Rights, but many courts are now following a Children’s Bill of Rights. A Children’s Bill of Rights is a list of the kinds of things that all good parents should provide for their children. For example, children have the right not to be dragged into the middle […]
Read MoreGet to know your babysitters and keep them happy
Posted October 4th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
How well do you know your babysitter? If you hire non-family members to watch your children when you’re not available, be sure to interview them in detail. Once you’re confident that your babysitter is competent and safe for your children, think about ways to improve your relationship with the sitter. For example, do you know […]
Read MoreDo not unnecessarily request paternity testing.
Posted October 3rd, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It sometimes seems like a smart idea to deny paternity. Especially in new child custody cases, it is not uncommon for the father to deny that he fathered the children, or for the mother to assert that the alleged father is not the biological father of the children. Often, however, it seems that these paternity […]
Read MoreStudy the school calendar for those unexpected days-off.
Posted October 2nd, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Non-custodial parents can often upgrade their visitation schedule by scrutinizing the children’s school calendar at the beginning of the school. In fact, by this time of year, most school districts around the country have posted their revised calendars online. To the surprise of many parents, school districts often schedule days off (or in-service days or […]
Read MoreDisplay your children’s accomplishments at your home
Posted October 1st, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It may seem rather commonplace to decorate your refrigerator with drawings by your children and copies of their classroom accomplishments, but don’t stop there. Feel free to publish your children’s artistic and literary works throughout the house. A excellent report card might deserve a frame and a place on the child’s dresser. The essay or […]
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