Category Archives: Child Custody
The First Visit After a Divorce Filing Can Be a Firestorm of Conflict
Sometimes the breakdown of a marriage is death by a thousand cuts. It is impossible to pinpoint the moment when you knew that your relationship with your spouse was beyond repair. Was it the 98th time your spouse dismissed your feelings or the 99th time? In other cases, marriages blow apart spectacularly. The spouses… Read More »
The Family Court Will Not Make Your Children Choose Between You and Your Ex-Spouse, and Neither Should You
Parenting is not a popularity contest. The parents of adults will remind you of this, and so will Internet content that ranges from web comix and lighthearted blogs to op eds by writers who are jockeying for a journalism award. It is hard enough to remember this when your toddlers scream bloody murder because… Read More »
Parenting Plans for Adoptive Parents
Florida’s family law code is based on the assumption that it is in children’s best interest to have a stable relationship with both parents, even if the parents are not married to each other and do not live together. It also respects the rights of parents to spend time with their children and make… Read More »
Supervised Parenting Time Should Always Have a Specific Goal and Timeline
If your ex-spouse threatens to take your children away from you, usually all it takes to call your ex’s bluff is to go back to court. The courts are not in the business of determining which parent wins the children and which parent loses them; instead, they instruct parents to negotiate during mediation to… Read More »
Empathy Is the Secret Ingredient in a Successful Parenting Plan
When divorce lawyers tell you that it is worthwhile to draft a meticulously detailed parenting plan, even if it means spending more hours in mediation, they are not just saying it because you are paying them by the hour. Parenting plans that spell out all the details about transportation, three-day weekends, and extracurricular activities,… Read More »
The 420 Friendly Co-Parent
Your ex is going around telling everyone that weed ruined your marriage. Maybe she is just jealous because you chose cannabis over her. You know what they say. When someone gives you an ultimatum, always decide against the person giving the ultimatum. Your ex said, “It’s me or the weed.” Your stash of weed… Read More »
Do You Have to Let Your Ex Know Your Physical Address When Co-Parenting?
No matter how ugly your breakup with the other parent of your children is, the family court has seen worse. While parenting blogs tend to tailor their advice toward co-parents who are still on speaking terms, even though they may deeply resent each other, the courts must handle situations much worse than anything that… Read More »
Giving Adequate Notice for Family Court Proceedings
Depending on your perspective, it is either humiliating or a relief that, when you are going through a divorce or when you and your former spouse have minor children together, you can ask the court to intervene to decide which one of you is being reasonable and which one is causing unnecessary drama. Unfortunately,… Read More »
Parental Alienation or Garden Variety Teenage Rebellion?
No matter how patient you are with your children, how consistent in your enforcement of rules, and how emotionally intelligent you are, you will probably experience conflict with your children during their adolescence. This is true even if you are married to your children’s other parent, and you and your spouse have been practicing… Read More »
Parenting Time Is Only for a Child’s Legal Parents
Providing stability and continuity for children after their parents get divorced is one of the highest priorities for the family courts. This is why every couple who gets divorced while their children are minors gets a court-ordered parenting plan; in most cases, the parents set the terms of the parenting plan during mediation, but… Read More »