Unmarried Stay at Home Virginia Mom I’ll just say it: I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom. I love my kids, but they drive me crazy, too! Sometimes, I find that I am literally counting down the hours until Monday just so that I can get a little break. If you’re a stay at home mom, my hat is off to you. You do some of the world’s hardest work, day in and day out. It’s mind numbing, sometimes. Sure, it’s also the most rewarding thing in the entire universe, and those little people we’re … [Read more...]
Relocation in Virginia Military Custody Cases: Part 2
Relocation in Virginia Military Custody Cases: Part 2 On Friday, we talked about relocation when you’re a military spouse. (Spoiler alert: it’s tough!) Today, we’re going to talk about the other side of the coin – what happens in a Virginia custody case when HE relocates because of a permanent change of duty station? For the active duty military parent, relocation is a bit different. We talked about it from a military spouse perspective the other day, but, in general, that’s regarded a … [Read more...]
Celebrating Holidays When You’re Separated
Celebrating Holidays When You’re Separated Well, it’s officially November, which means that the holidays are literally right around the corner. For most people, it’s a pretty joyful, exciting time – looking forward to some extra time off of work, watching the Thanksgiving Day parade in your pajamas, enjoying Christmas breakfast with the extended fam, avoiding that annual family drama or too-long hugs from your weird uncle. If you’re newly separated, though, the holidays can be a really … [Read more...]
Grandparent and Non Parent Rights in Custody Cases Part 2
On Friday, we talked about custody and visitation cases where a grandparent – or other non parent – petitions the court for custody and/or visitation. The cases I described on Friday are otherwise normal custody cases, where mom and dad share custody and visitation of the minor children in question. In those cases, grandparents (or other nonparents petitioning for custody and/or visitation) have to meet a standard beyond the typical “best interests of the child” standard. They have to show … [Read more...]
Grandparent and Non Parent Rights in Custody Cases Part 1
Grandparent and Non Parents Rights in Custody Cases It’s a truth universally acknowledged that children are wonderful. Well, unless they’re terrible, because sometimes that happens, too. But, regardless of how terrible they might be on any particular day, they’re certainly loveable, and they wiggle their way into our hearts – and the hearts of lots of other people that they come into contact with -- in about a million different ways. When grandparents and other non parents (like aunts, … [Read more...]
Special Issues in Custody: Breastfeeding
Special Issues in custody: Breastfeeding Breastfeeding can become an issue in custody and visitation cases, as you can probably imagine. Breastfeeding in general is fairly controversial, but it may be safe to say that it’s at its most controversial when it comes to custody and visitation. Sure, some people get pretty bent out of shape when breasts are used for their intended purpose in public locations, but Virginia law on that point is pretty clear (specifically, you may lawfully breastfeed … [Read more...]
Does my teenager have to go to visitation with his father?
Does my teenager have to go to visitation with his father? I hate these cases. Really, really hate them. I see moms with some frequency who come in and tell me that they were trying not to make any future issues with custody and visitation, but that their child asked them to intervene for one reason or another. Usually, these children are older teenagers (15+) and they’ve asked, for whatever reason, not to be forced to go to visitation with their fathers. The moms, more often than not, feel … [Read more...]
How child support is calculated: Part 2
On Monday, we started talking about child support, and how it’s calculated. It’s actually pretty straightforward, though the child support guideline figures can vary dramatically, which makes it a refreshing area of law. We ran the guidelines a bunch of different ways, using the same income figures, to show you the difference between one and two children, and primary physical and shared physical custody. It can make a big difference! There are lots of issues that come up when it … [Read more...]
How is Virginia child support calculated?
How is Virginia child support calculated? Child support is one of those refreshing areas of law where there are black and white, hard and fast answers. As long as we know what numbers – regarding your income and your child’s father’s income, daycare expenses, health care expenses, etc – we can quickly and easily compute child support. From that point, it doesn’t matter whether your attorney runs the guidelines, his attorney runs the guidelines, or the judge runs the guidelines – the number … [Read more...]
What is a typical custody schedule?
What is a typical custody schedule? Well, first off, let me say: there is no such thing as a “typical” custody schedule. Though there are some arrangements that courts (and parents) favor over others, there are literally as many different types of arrangements with respect to custody as there are parents and children out there in the world. There’s no right or wrong, really – though that’s not to suggest that, if a court orders a specific custody arrangement, you’ll necessarily love the way … [Read more...]
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