Virginia’s laws are full of odd expressions: in loco parentis; legitimate interest; confirmatory adoption. Sure, they all mean something to someone, but most Virginians can live their entire lives without ever stumbling into these words. Unless you are a stepfather or a nice guy trying to do right by a woman you love by acting like a father to her ...
In Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” a lowly shepherd discovers an abandoned baby. He says, “Mercy on ’s, a bairn! A very pretty bairn. A boy or a child, I wonder?” And the audience laughs, because “boy or child” sounds like an actor forgetting his lines. But in 16th century England, a “child” was a girl. And today, in Virginia, an ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
Parents protect their children. All mammals — otters, ocelots, wombats, numbats — worry over and coddle and defend their offspring. Instinct makes a Virginia parent especially sensitive to risk during a pandemic. Intentional or not, some Virginia custodial parents are withholding visitation and parenting time. What risk does that bring, and what is a better way? Let’s Focus on Science, ...