Award 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 […]
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