As a divorce lawyer for the past 17 years, I get to meet and speak to dozens of people every week regarding their relationships and the problems they encounter in their marriages. Having counseled thousands of people, I am privy to both the underbelly of marriage and divorce. In the same [...]
There are no hard and fast rules for deciding when it’s time to move in together. It’s a very personal decision for you and the man in your life. In our book Love For Grown Ups: The Garter Brides’ Guide to Marrying For Life When You’ve Already Got a Life, we interviewed [...]
As working parents’ roles in the lives of their children evolve with the demands of the modern economy, so too do their parental rights as divorced parents.
Traditionally, a child’s custodial parent would be the primary residential parent and child support recipient and the non-custodial parent would pay child support and [...]
No matter how big the toothless smiles, how many toys are packed into the playroom, how perfect the family holiday photo seems, many children experience some kind of stress while they are growing up that one researcher says could stay with them into adulthood.
Related: Can kids “catch” your stress?
“If a child has a [...]
In week six of Children of Divorce and Changing Families’ 8-week program, we do an exercise where we ask each child in the 10-12 year old group to create a set of rules that they wish their parents would follow to ease post divorce stresses.
The rules they write privately are then shared [...]
Divorce is not an easy process especially when you have kids. It’s hard on the couple that is undergoing this emotional and extreme life-changing event. It’s harder even still on the children of this couple. Often times the children of a divorcing couple can be, the hardest hurdle to surmount. Parents are grownups. [...]
The word “divorce” does not conjure up positive thoughts of family wellness, but emotionally fit parents can strengthen family relationships even during the legal process and later as a divorced family. Typically, parents are so trapped in their own emotional chaos, not to mention the arduous divorce procedure, that they involve [...]
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry tells us children of divorce do best when both of their parents continue to be actively involved in their lives. It’s the ongoing connection that makes the positive difference for these children, minimizing the fact that their parents no longer live together.
That’s why [...]
When the divorce process is just beginning, chances are you and your spouse have not settled the issue of child custody. This is a very difficult time for both you and your spouse, but most importantly, this is very difficult time for the children.
Do keep in mind throughout the divorce process [...]
The Advantages of Co-Mediation for the Divorce Process
Mediation is gaining popularity as a strategy for divorcing couples. Mediation provides the opportunity for resolution of all of the issues required to be decided under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act in a neutral setting, with the assistance of an objective impartial mediator. Once the couple has [...]
