There are a few issues that seem to pop up again and again and, if you’ve been in family law as long as I have, you’re bound to see it. If you’re going through a divorce or custody case, you may very well come across it, too – which is why I write today. It...
Common Custody Issues: Birthday Parties
If one thing is true about children, it’s that things are always changing. That’s why custody, visitation, and child support are modifiable based on a material change in circumstances. When you determine custody and visitation for the first time, you usually do so either as part of a custody agreement or a court order. Either...
There are a million different issues that come up in coparenting. One of them – or, at least, one of the ones I hear about the most often – is gatekeeping. As a mom myself, I can completely relate. All of the information coming at you about the kids at all times can feel insane. ...
I’ve never come across a parent who admits that he (or she) is deliberately making things difficult on the children. No, almost every single parent I’ve met – including the opposing parties – insist that its all about the kids. But it’s not as though there’s only one way to move through a separation, divorce,...
Mom is a special word. For months, I couldn’t wait until my babies said it back to me – though, to be honest, at this point, I wish they’d use it a little less often over the course of the day. Still, there’s no question that it’s a special thing to be called. It’s a...
Up until the court formally decides custody and visitation – or, alternatively, the parties enter into a signed custody agreement – there’s no formal child custody, visitation, or child support. For many couples, especially the ones that stay together (regardless of whether they’re married), that’s enough and it doesn’t go further than that. Even for...
Parenting Plans and Parenting Time These days, its probably safe to say that shared custody is more the norm than primary physical custody, except in cases where the parties agree otherwise. There is no explicit, legal presumption for shared custody in Virginia, though; in fact, the law only provides that the judge should consider “all”...
They say that marriages fall apart in increments of 7 – 7 years, 14 years, 21 years, and so on. It’s where the whole “Seven Year Itch” thing came from. In a lot of ways, I see it. Even though the first year of marriage is sometimes tumultuous, people tend to settle into a groove...