Children & Parenting

How Does a Separation Agreement Work? Do I Need One?

Whereas Virginia law allows divorce, it does so under two basic constructs: “fault grounds,” and “no fault grounds,” as established by Code of Virginia Title 20 Chapter 6 Subsection 20-911. Notice how we started with that fancy whereas, which the state of Virginia buys wholesale, by the pound, because it sprinkles the word profusely throughout its various documents and decrees. If ...

By |February 22nd, 2017|

7 Valuable Life Lessons Your Children Can Learn From Divorce

You may read this entry’s title and immediately think of a stream of ungenerous ideas. Something along the lines of, “My kids can learn firsthand what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, brainless, hopeless, heartless, bug-eyed, worm-headed their mother is.” (With apologies and acknowledgements to the brilliant screenwriting of John Hughes1 in National Lampoon’s Christmas ...

By |February 20th, 2017|

The Dummies’ Guide to Child Custody in Virginia

Custody cases stemming from divorce in Virginia fall into two categories: legal custody and physical custody. Within each of these areas, custody can be joint or sole, so a Virginia parent can have legal custody for a child but share physical custody, for example. If the whole process of child custody seems confusing, you are no dummy. The services of ...

By |February 15th, 2017|

Can I Be Accused of Kidnapping My Own Child?

Numbers are funny things. Take felonies and misdemeanors in Virginia, for example. If you do not know the difference between felony and misdemeanor, the worst possible way to learn this is by kidnapping your own child. Not only can you be accused of kidnapping your own child, you can be found guilty of it, too. A Virginia Class 4 felony1 can ...

By |February 10th, 2017|

5 Kid-friendly Weekend Retreats in Virginia for Single Dads

They are life-sized and made with tremendous love (though not much talent). The dinosaurs of Dinosaur Land in White Post, Virginia date back to the 1960s and are a kid’s delight. Mixed among the prehistoric preponderance are a King Kong, a 70-foot purple octopus, and a shark you can walk into (and safely out of). Finding weekend retreats with your ...

By |February 6th, 2017|

Five Wild Ways a Miserable Marriage Could Get You Fired

This sounds like a joke, but what is the difference between David Petraeus and Christopher Kubasik? To find the answer, review the facts: Petraeus, then the director of the CIA, announced in 2012 that a) he was resigning his job because b) he was having an affair with his biographer. Kubasik, as reported in Forbes—same year, same month, same day—resigned ...

By |January 27th, 2017|

Establishment and Disestablishment of Paternity in Virginia: 5 Hard Facts

In matters of determining paternity—or ruling out paternity—hard facts are far superior to hysteria. Though paternity is an emotionally charged issue, the safety and well-being of a child is at stake. Thanks to the Code of Virginia and other state institutions, establishing or disestablishing paternity can follow a clear, legal path. Consider these five hard facts. Facts for the Child ...

By |January 25th, 2017|

Divorce & Taxes: Smart Tax Time Tips for Men

Everybody says only two things in life are certain; the ol’ D and T. But for some Virginia men, these are not Death and Taxes, but Divorce and … Taxes. Spoiler alert: it’s always taxes. Surprisingly, these two life events can be intertwined, and savvy divorced men can benefit from a few smart tax tips. Dollars for Divorce You should ...

By |January 23rd, 2017|

8 Brilliant Ways to Become the MacGyver of Fatherhood

Men of a certain age may aspire to be MacGyver. When he rolled out such improbable solutions as plugging a sulfuric acid leak with chocolate (sugar reacts with acid, forming carbon and a leak-stopping residue), couch heroes everywhere were wishing they had a paper clip and some gasoline so they, too, could perform amazing feats. Dads after divorce, desperate to ...

By |January 20th, 2017|
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