Now I lay me down to sleep, but Dad’s new girlfriend is a creep. Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” helps people differentiate between needs and wants, and to make clear that some needs are basic and biological: food, water, safety, warmth, and rest. We may want a separate bedroom for our visiting children to get their rest, but is it ...
The retractable dog leash was first patented in 1908, by Mary Delaney. With child custody and visitation, many a Virginia man feels like he is walking around on a leash. If you assign full physical and legal custody of your children to your former wife, how far can you stray from home? How Short is Your Leash? Back in the ...
The judge assigned her. The state pays her. Your child custody issues hinges on her word. Face it: you have a lot at stake when a guardian ad litem (GAL) drops by for a home visit. She (or he — the Supreme Court of Virginia keeps a list of qualified GALs of both genders) is not your attorney; she is ...
Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty person? We ask because everyone has heard that old chestnut, “Half of all marriages end in divorce.” Well, that also means half don’t end in divorce. We are not half-full/half-empty people, though. We look at where that pitcher of our favorite beverage is, so we can top off the glass. People have other ...
Wives become ex-wives. Convicts become ex-convicts. Serve your time and you’re an ex-convict. But felons? A felon is a felon for life. So, when your ex-wife starts dating a felon, are you cool with that? What can you do? How can you protect your kids? Two Different Issues You learn your ex-wife is dating a felon. Is this felon around ...
We all remember the quaint days of “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service.” Nowadays, it’s “No Mask, No Service.” What happens if it’s “No Court Order, No Custody” looming in your life? At The Start: Equal Responsibility in Parenting Babies are natural. Paperwork is not. Babies are born free and unencumbered by birth certificates, immunization records, report cards, driver licenses, ...
Go along to get along. Or is it, “Get along to go along?” Sam Rayburn said it the second way; author Hillary Jordan went the other way. Here’s a wrinkle: “Get along to go.” As in, go out of state. To make child custody and relocation work, you have to get along with your children’s mother, and the judge. Virginia ...
When we say, “All work is noble,” we not only forget the other half of that quotation, but we also ignore the subtle disdain it shows for anyone not working. When Maria Montessori said, “All work is noble,” she finished the thought with, “the only ignoble thing is to live without working.” What does Virginia make of a mother who ...
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) loves to give tests. There’s two phrases sure to head straight to your heart, and make it jump: IRS and tests. Publication 5041 includes a section called “Tests To Be A Qualifying Child.” Before you leap to that fascinating reading, though, be aware that the answer to the question, “Who Claims the Children on Taxes ...