Category Archives: Children and Divorce
Helping Your Children Through Divorce
It is no secret that a divorce can be an incredibly stressful time for families. While a couple may have to deal with the grief and sadness of a failed relationship—not to mention the challenges of the divorce process itself—those with children must also manage the transition into a new familial structure.
Visitation Rights of Grandparents in Illinois
Depending on the family dynamics, grandparents may find themselves at the mercy of the parents of the grandchildren in question when it comes to the issue of visitation. Under Illinois law, grandparents have a limited right to request court-ordered visitation privileges with their grandchildren. State law also recognizes a parent’s fundamental right to the final decisions regarding how and where their children are raised and who may have access to them while they are minors. From a legal standpoint, however, the rights of both parents and grandparents are always viewed in tandem with what is in the best interest of the child. Situations do arise in which the best interest of the child may need to be decided by a family court.
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How Divorce Could Impact Your Child
If you and your spouse are considering calling it quits, you probably have many concerns. Divorce can affect your finances, living situation, and especially your children. What should you expect your children to experience and feel if you and your spouse split? Every situation is different, but experts agree that there are some common themes to be aware of when it comes to how divorce will impact your child.
How Far Is Too Far to Move With Your Child?
If you are a divorced, separated, or unmarried parent, you probably realize how important it is for your child to maintain a healthy relationship with his or her other parent. There are exceptions, of course, including situations in which the other parent is completely absent, negligent, or, worst of all, abusive. Following your divorce or breakup, you and the other parent most likely managed to come to an agreement regarding your child, granting each of you certain rights and responsibilities. What happens, though, when you decide that you want to move out of the area with your child? Do you have the right to do so? Is it possible to move too far away?
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Types of Co-Parenting Relationships
Are you stuck in an unhappy marriage but worried about the impact a divorce could have on your children? You are not alone. Many parents remain in unhappy marriages to spare their children the pain of divorce. While this may seem like a noble choice, it is often misguided. In fact, in many cases, children fare far better with separated parents compared to married parents in an unhealthy relationship. Why is this?
Smartphone Apps Co-Parents Need to Know About
Co-parenting, or parenting after separation, is widely considered one of the best ways to keep a divorce as stress free as possible for the children involved. While the parent’s romantic relationship has ended, through co-parenting, parents are able to live their own lives while sharing the responsibility of parenting their children.
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Helping Children Cope with Divorce
Often likened to a death in the family, divorce is one of the most stressful events a person can experience in their life. Even an amicable divorce can be difficult to cope with. Add children into the mix, and matters can get even more complicated. For children, divorce can be a very stressful and emotional experience. To a child, parents separating can feel like the end of the world. They may fear the future, worry that they will never see one of their parents again, or feel responsible for their parent’s split. Fortunately, children can and do recover from divorce all the time. While the divorce period itself may be rough, and the transition from a single household to a co-parenting situation can be challenging, your children will recover. In the meantime, here are a few dos and do not’s for parents hoping to help their child cope with the news of their divorce.
Blended Families: Tips for Building a Relationship with Stepchildren
Developing a relationship with your stepchildren can be difficult. While you may be excited to be a new member of the family and make connections, your stepchildren may see you as a reminder of their parent’s divorce. They also may also view you as a sign that their mother and father are not going to reunite. Through sensitivity and patience, however, you can start building a healthy relationship with your new stepchildren. Here is how:
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Children and Divorce: Tips for Parents
The beginning of the year is statistically a popular time to file for divorce. Divorce attorneys, mediators, and other experts across the world report that they see a significant spike in divorce filings each January. Divorce can be a painful, confusing, stressful process for everyone involved, but advocates say it is vital that parents focus on what is most important – their children. While it can be easy to get wrapped up in the constant chaos of divorce, parents must remember that the process is just as difficult, or perhaps even more difficult, for their children. Parents should keep the following few tips in mind while navigating the divorce process to ensure their children remain healthy, safe, and emotionally unharmed.
Relocation: New Rules When a Custodial Parent Wants to Move
The Illinois legislature’s recent overhaul of the state’s child custody and divorce laws are far-reaching: even the state’s removal laws – what a custodial parent must do if he or she wishes to move with the child – are getting a makeover. Under the new laws, which went into effect on January 1, 2016, the term “removal” has been replaced with “relocation,” arguably in recognition that a move can be disruptive to the noncustodial parent’s visitation rights regardless of whether the move is in-state or out-of-state.
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