It is incredibly difficult to go through a separation and/or divorce (or even a breakup, if you and your child’s father never married) when you have children in common. Going from ‘you’ time and ‘me’ time to ‘your’ time and ‘our’ time is a huge change. There’s not enough said about navigating those complicated and...
I hate ‘reasonable and liberal’ visitation in Va parenting plans
Childcare is one of the most difficult parts of parenting. It just is. I think that is true across the board, regardless of whether you are married to your child’s father, never married your child’s father, divorced your child’s father, are separated from your child’s father, or your child’s father is totally MIA. It’s really,...
Navigating a new coparenting relationship is challenging, even under the best of circumstances. Most breakups, though, aren’t the best of circumstances. Or maybe – and this is entirely possible – I just have a poor sampling. I do think that’s something you (and probably I) should always consider. When I speak (or write), I’m thinking...
Sometimes, the most frustrating things about coparenting aren’t even necessarily the legal issues. Sure, the legal issues themselves can be difficult to resolve but, for many families, once that initial hurdle is crossed, things settle down a bit. That doesn’t mean that all is well and everything is harmonious. In fact, in many cases –...
Lately, I’ve done a whole series of articles on common coparenting issues on everything from travel and relocation to extracurricular activities and birthday parties. Believe me, all sorts of things come up! Coparents can find a million different ways to fight with each other, both before and long, long after their divorces or break ups...
At some point or another, both you and your soon-to-be ex are going to want to travel somewhere with the child. For some families, this involves international travel; for others, it’s mostly domestic. In any case, it probably gives you some pause to think about your child’s father traveling away with your child, especially for...
I’ve said it before; I really like a right of first refusal. But that doesn’t mean that issues can’t arise when you implement a right of first refusal provision in your separation agreement or court order! All KINDS of issues can come up in family law cases and, I am sorry to say, to the...
Kids keep you busy. If it’s not one season, it’s another. And between the after-school events, social activities, birthday parties, sports, summer camps, classes, and other activities, it can be overwhelming shuttling the kids to and from all of it. Keeping up with the calendar alone can be challenging enough, but for separated and divorced...