Though many children look forward to the fun, freedom, and activities that typically come with summer vacation, it can be a challenging time for both the children and the parents in divorcing or post-divorce families.
Under many custody arrangements, children are with one parent or the other for longer stretches during the summer than during the school year. It’s a change in routine and in parenting time that can potentially produce anxiety for children and frustration for parents.
Here are some tips to help parents make the transition from the school year to summer vacation easier for children (and themselves) following a divorce.
Make Plans Early: Enroll children in summer camps and make vacation plans as soon as possible – definitely before the end of the school year. This gives kids a better idea of what the summer will look like and what they can look forward to doing during the summer. It also allows time for parents to resolve any schedule conflicts that might arise in the planning process.
Don’t Take On Too Much: While parents might want to make sure their kids are active and busy, scheduling your children for multiple camps, sports seasons and other activities could leave them exhausted or burned out. Make sure there’s time in the schedule for you and your kids to be together, and for your kids to spend time with their friends.
Remember, They’ll Remember: If you think back on your childhood, you’ll be reminded of how important summer can be in defining one’s childhood experience, and how vivid those summer memories remain after childhood. This means not only thinking about what your children will experience during summer vacation with each parent, but what they’ll remember about their parents’ interactions with each other in making plans. Work to maintain a civil tone in your summer scheduling, and seek compromise and negotiation to resolve any conflicts.
Every parent has a legal and moral obligation to financially support his or her child. When parties divorce, the court will usually require the noncustodial parent to pay a percentage of his or her net income as child support. What happens, though, when the noncustodial parent’s net income is difficult to calculate or fluctuates from year to year? Or, what happens when the noncustodial parent is unemployed or underemployed?
Paying for a child’s college education is a significant financial issue in any family, but with divorcing or divorced families, it can be especially tricky. Often times, if parents divorce when their children are young, the marital settlement agreement does not specify each parent’s obligation because that event is many years down the road. Therefore, when the time eventually arrives, planning for college should include not only traditional items such as exploring potential schools, financial aid packages, and travel and boarding arrangements, but also a review of the settlement agreement well before enrollment in a specific institution.
Recently, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on two consecutive days in two cases which have generated national headlines and filled the broadcast airways with the topic of marriage equality. The Court’s decision in these two cases, Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor, will be delivered by the end of the 2012-2013 Term in mid-June and may likely have a profound effect upon the view of marriage in this country.
When people ask why I chose family law, I tell them that it’s one of the few areas of law where one not only deals at close range with clients, but one that touches on a plethora of areas of the law. After over 20 years in practice, it has become obvious that the multi-disciplinary nature of divorce extends far beyond the issues of income taxes, bankruptcies, and the business entities that we deal with to value the estate. It extends into areas of trust and estate planning, insurance and a variety of other areas that those experiencing divorce often don’t foresee. The purpose of this Article is to highlight a few of the most common areas where what appears to be ordinary planning can have an unexpected negative result in the event of a divorce.
The population of the United States is getting older. The most recent census, conducted in 2010, revealed not only that there are now more Americans age 65 and above than at any other time in U.S. history, but also that this age group grew at a faster pace during the prior decade than the total population. Moreover, the 65-and-older set is expected to increase even more rapidly over the next decade as more baby boomers start to turn 65 and as new medical advances continue to extend life expectancy.
The statistics are deeply troubling. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be the victim of child sexual abuse by the time they reach 18. Ninety-three percent of these victims are abused by someone they know who is in a position of trust or authority. However, only 1 out of 10 victims ever disclose their abuse.
Typically, each new year brings a sense of anticipation and a fresh start. However, it may not feel this way for those going through or contemplating a divorce. In fact, the new year may create uneasy feelings and a concern about the future. Planning and forward thinking can make the process easier, reducing anxiety, stress, or uncertainty. The following are a few tips to help couples contemplating divorce get organized and approach the beginning of the new year more positively.
Loading ...
