Tag: Parenting

  • Blending Families: Straightforward Answers For a Complex Issue (Part 2)

      In the previous article in this series we talked about the importance of taking time and being patient while your newly blended family adjusts. In this segment we are going to address the next major issue on the list – discipline, as it seems to be the one that causes the most issues in…

  • Blending Families: Straightforward Answers For a Complex Issue (Part 1)

      Being a parent is a very involved and often highly pressured situation. But remarrying another parent after a divorce, and blending two pre-existing families into one cohesive unit, can feel like rocket science by comparison.   However, complex and challenging as it may be, blending two families doesn’t have to be a source of…

  • Can You Give Up Parental Rights to Your Child in Michigan?

    As family law attorneys that have represented thousands of clients over the decades, we get asked a lot of difficult questions. Occasionally, we are asked whether or not a parent can “sign off” on their parental rights to their child. This is often due to a parent wanting to avoid child support payments or parent…

  • How To Tell If Your Child Is Struggling With Your Divorce (Part 2)

      In the previous article we introduced the subject of how a parent could tell if their child is struggling with their divorce. Although children are often very adaptable and resilient, they sometimes have difficulty adapting to change that affects them emotionally and psychologically. And their suffering can sometimes go undetected.   In part one…

  • How To Tell If Your Child Is Struggling With Your Divorce (Part 1)

      Children are incredibly adaptable. Their willingness to embrace change and flexibility in the face of upheaval is often quite inspiring. However, just because they can “go with the flow” in many instances, doesn’t mean that a divorce isn’t going to present them with some serious challenges.   Another issue that parents need to keep…

  • Special Considerations For Special Needs Kids During Divorce. Part Two: Emotional Concerns

      As we discussed in part one of this article, caring for a child with special needs is already a job that requires an enormous amount of forbearance, love and tenacity. Consider then, if this task can take a lot out of a strong, intact family, how much more difficult it must be for a…

  • Special Considerations For Special Needs Kids During A Divorce. Part One: Financial Concerns

    Caring for a special needs child requires a phenomenal amount of patience and dedication, not to mention the added expenses incurred. Even the strongest families can, and do, struggle when faced with the care of a special needs child. Consider then, how much more stressful and overwhelming this situation can be for the parents of…

  • Planning Life Cycle Events With Your Ex After Divorce

      Regardless of your culture or beliefs, milestones in the lives of your children, while sometimes stressful, are usually a source of great pride and joy. Bar Mitzvahs, sweet sixteen parties, college graduations, and weddings are major events to be celebrated and enjoyed together as a family. For divorced couples, however,  these events can be…

  • Non-Custodial Parenting – How To Make Every Minute Count! (Part 1)

      Ask any parent who used to see their child every day, and now, in the wake of divorce or some other separation, only has visitation. They’ll all say the same thing – the hardest part is the lost time with their child. Across the board, non-custodial parents struggle with the fact that they are…

  • Joint Custody – What Happens When You Don’t Agree?

      In the majority of standard divorce cases in Michigan, the outcome of the custody arrangement is Joint Legal Custody, which means that regardless of how the physical custody is divided, both parents have equal say in how the child should be raised.   While physical custody means the actual location of the child as…