She is scared and alone at her doctor’s office, waiting for her first ultrasound. She already has three children, and she knows she cannot afford to care for another. She used contraceptives but she knows that they are not 100% effective. She took a pregnancy test...
Children
Protecting Children Around Guns
Changes to the gun laws require changes to how we protect ourselves, but it also requires changes in how we protect our children. Studies show, having firearms in the home dramatically increases the risk of unintentional shootings, suicide, and homicide. Last Tuesday,...
Protecting the Future: What exactly are the “Best Interests of the Child”?
When children are involved in a custody battle between adults, whether it is an initial dispute or a modification action down the line, you’ll often hear the phrase “best interests of the child.” Legally, the custody arrangement standard is based upon this principle....
Domestic Violence: 53 Year Old Will Smith Battling the Pains of Childhood
We all witnessed it - live or through some media report. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. It began with an insensitive joke. Chris Rock is an American standup comedian, actor, writer, producer, and film director. Rock appeared on stage and like any other...
Since U Been Gone, I’ve Paying over $45,000 in Child Support
Kelly Clarkson has just settled her divorce from her husband of more than seven years. What is more surprising: the American Idol star paying $45,601.00 per month in child support or that she has primary physical custody of their two children and is still paying...
What is Better than a Wife? (Part I)
She leaned against the marble counter top, hand absently rubbing her swollen belly, while she looked out over the beautifully decorated mansion she needed to say goodbye to. Seven months pregnant, with no money to go and no right to stay: He had given her ‘till...
Adopting Feelings- Part One
On a sunny, cool fall afternoon in Marietta, a young woman wandered aimlessly down her driveway. As she stared out into the empty cul-de-sac, she heard the smack of a baseball hitting an old leathery glove. The sound brought her back to reality. Looking into the...
This Year, Give Grace
“Grace? She passed 30 years ago.” - Aunt Bethany, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation If you’re like me, the Christmas season isn’t complete without National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. To those of you unfamiliar with the classic: Poor feeble Aunt Bethany is asked...
Revisiting Visitation
What happens when your parenting plan does not contemplate you living in the same state as your children? Consider the following: Parent A and Parent B get divorced in Georgia in 2018. Since Parent A had plans to relocate to New Jersey for employment before the entry...
The Airport
“I’m where he always told me to go if I couldn’t find him,” Joey thought as he stood in the terminal at the Baltimore airport. Ever since his parents got divorced and he was old enough to fly unaccompanied, his Dad had found a spot, right next to a newsstand, that...