The scientific debate has raged among anthropologists for decades: why are human babies born helpless? Pelvic size, maternal metabolism, the size of Junior’s noggin — all have been offered as reasons why those tiny humans cannot walk, feed themselves, or sit upright. No other mammal is born so dependent on its parents. A newborn baby arriving after a divorce adds ...
What’s your favorite color? If you’re like most people, it’s blue. That is not likely to be the kind of question a Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC) judge will ask during a child custody hearing. Here’s what she or he will ask. How Common is it for a Judge to Interview a Child for a Custody Case? When ...
Virginia offers separating and divorcing parents several options with child custody. The law reads, “The court shall consider and may award joint legal, joint physical, or sole custody, and there shall be no presumption in favor of any form of custody.” One option is 50/50 physical custody, under which both parents enjoy their children half the time. But child custody ...
As you and your ex settle into life after divorce, you move from emotional clashes to practical concerns. Parenting time schedules for shared custody parents represent the ideal for most families, since each parent has roughly 50 percent custody. The challenges come from maintaining that perfect bifurcation. What Are the Benefits of 50-50 Custody? When you and your ex strive ...
Talk about dicey situations. You take your tiny tykes to their mother’s house for parenting time, and you definitely smell alcohol on her breath. Oh, she claims it is strong mouthwash, but then when you pick them up later, you glimpse the disheveled mess over her shoulder: plastic cups, empty liquor bottles. What can you do? Plenty! Softball: First, Have ...
What’s the worst four-letter word? Nope, it’s not that one, that one, or even the c-word. It’s “just,” as in “I just want to make some adjustments to the materials, color scheme, timeline, and budget of my home remodeling project.” Ranking up there, too, are phrases like, “We could just make a few dozen changes to the legally binding agreement ...
Newborn human babies are evolutionary throwbacks. Helpless, unable to walk or run after birth, and cognitively stunted due to limited brain size (according to Scientific American), human babies vividly demonstrate the biological battle between mom’s pelvic size and a baby’s big head. So who is better equipped to take custody of a newborn human? Mom, or Dad? Look to The ...
Silly you, you thought learning ended at high school or college graduation, didn’t you? Then a boss handed you a computer program’s 300-page manual and said, “Spend your weekend learning this program so you can use it Monday.” Then your staff sergeant informed you that you’ve “volunteered” for special training. Then a Virginia judge told you to attend parenting classes. ...
Guardians ad litem in Virginia seem to hold great sway over family law cases. Perhaps you are concerned about a court-ordered investigation and report issued by a guardian ad litem (GAL) and you wonder, can you do anything about it? What’s a GAL? A guardian ad litem (GAL) is a court-appointed legal representative whose client is your child. In any ...