Punish the real violators financially — with hourly sanctions.
Posted January 4th, 2017 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
What can you do when a parent openly violates court orders, refusing to return the child on time, or otherwise failing to abide by the parenting time plan? What can you do when one of the parties ignores the threat of having a motion filed against him? He thinks: If you file a motion against […]
Read MoreBribe the kids with Oreos….well, not exactly.
Posted January 2nd, 2017 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Happy New Year! Now that we’re off to a fresh start, think about putting the kids to work at the supermarket. When you go grocery shopping, assign your children to specific tasks. For example, ask your daughter to take control of all paper products — napkins, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, paper plates. Ask your […]
Read MoreMake a New Year’s Eve Time Capsule with the kids. It may provide valuable insight
Posted December 30th, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, think about what significant events have occurred throughout the year — in your life, your children’s lives, and in the state of your family. Get the kids of creating a “time capsule.” A time capsule can be made from an empty tennis ball container or similar type […]
Read MoreNew Year’s Resolutions for Kids — Get them started now!
Posted December 28th, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Now is a good time to get your children started on making their New Year’s Resolutions. Of course, many of us adults tend to make the same resolutions every year — lose weight, work less, finish that class, clean out that spare room — and we promptly break them by mid-January. But children may treat […]
Read MoreIf you have the kids on New Year’s Eve, plan a kids party at your house or attend one somewhere else.
Posted December 26th, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Parents often fight so aggressively over who has the children for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that they forget the value of having the children on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. If you have the children on New Year’s Eve this year, get them involved early in planning a New Year’s Eve party. […]
Read MoreUse Christmas as an opportunity to teach good manners.
Posted December 23rd, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! If you’re having a family gathering for the holidays, be sure that the children have have received a crash course in guest etiquette. Make sure they know their table manners. If somebody gives them a lousy gift — or perhaps a toy or a book they already have — teach […]
Read MoreGet the kids involved in making holiday gifts at your home — a custody strategy, not just a nice gesture.
Posted December 22nd, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Take advantage of the upcoming holidays, and get your kids busy making gifts. Not just buying gifts…but rather, making them. Get the children invested in the holiday spirit by turning their rooms into Santa’s workshop. Producing gifts at your home is much more than generating holiday cheer. It’s a strategy to strengthen the children’s ties […]
Read MoreCoordinate gift-giving with the other parent, and don’t leave half-siblings out of the picture
Posted December 21st, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
One of the valuable lessons of the holiday season is the virtue of gift-giving. Children should learn about the pleasures of giving holiday cards and gifts to their loved ones. This important seasonal ritual can get lost (or confused) when kids are divided between two households, or when they have half-brothers and half-sisters at one […]
Read MoreDon’t buy holiday gifts for your kids that will complicate your custody case.
Posted December 20th, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Shopping for the kids? Be careful. If you’re embroiled in an ongoing child custody dispute, holiday gifts can be a source of great confusion and tactical warfare. Consider, for example, the non-custodial parent who buys a new bicycle for his son. The gift is given to the boy when he visits with his father on […]
Read More“You’re Grounded!” How to Collaborate in Punishing Your Children
Posted December 19th, 2016 by Mark S. Guralnick.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
Imagine this situation: Suzy, a 14-year-old, stays out with her friends well beyond the local town curfew. She is escorted home at 2:00 a.m. by a local police officer. She is drunk. Her mother, the custodial parent, is infuriated. “You’re grounded, young lady,” she declares. And she means it! Except for one problem…. The next […]
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