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When a family is experiencing difficulty, very often the focus turns to the well-being of any children involved. Parents are likely concerned with how children cope with such situations and the chances they will emerge from such huge life changes relatively unscathed. While much evidence suggests that kids who go through their parents’ divorce can deal with the event successfully, certain factors, such as stability and support, must be in place in order to give them the best chances at doing so. In other situations, a difficult home life may directly contribute to challenges children face in their everyday lives, as is pointed out by a recently published article.
A New Approach
One area that may be significantly impacted when children are experiencing problems at home is in their learning at school. These problems can include anything from a parent’s unemployment, to violence, a marital separation or divorce. Each of these scenarios create unstable home environments that lead to challenges for children at home. Often, kids who are living under such circumstances have upsetting feelings about them which they may struggle with and which affects their behavior, therefore affecting their school day.
There are many children across the United States who are in need of a home. Whether this is accomplished through adoption, foster care, or some other type of living arrangement, many children benefit from having a safe and stable living environment. Illinois has previously established a program in which youths can be matched up with families who are willing to open up their homes to them in order to provide them with shelter and care. Now, according to a recently published news article, other states are taking Illinois’ lead and using the program as a model to implement their own such program.
Safe Haven
The state of Oregon used Illinois’ example as a lead in implementing a shelter program aimed at providing youths with a stable home environment. Such programs match stable host families with kids who are at risk for homelessness because their own home lives are affected by drugs, alcohol, abuse, or other troubles. The purpose of the program is to intervene in the lives of at-risk kids before they reach the point of homelessness or become the victims of abuse.
With divorce so common in today’s society, it is no wonder that many look at examples of long-term successful marriages to try to determine what factors played a part in them. Of course, every relationship is different and even rules that generally hold true will have exceptions. In addition, it is safe to say that many factors are usually at play in making a relationship work over the long term. A recent news article suggests that one such factor that may increase a couple’s chance of having a lasting marriage is growing up in a big family.
Large Families May Lead to Enduring Marriages
The article cites examples of two sisters, both of whom married in their late teens, going on to celebrate their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries. They came from a family of nine siblings total, seven of whom remained married for at least 50 years when only about six percent of couples supposedly do. This statistic, coupled with the high rate of long marriages that exist in the family mentioned above, are prompting many to ask why people who come from big families seemingly have a better chance of enjoying a long marriage.
With the legality of same sex-marriages changing in many states across the country, legal issues involving the status change are sure to arise. Since this is a relatively new social change in society, it may take a while for the law to catch up and apply appropriately to many situations involving same-sex marriages. A recent article discussed the fact that divorce laws in many states have yet to keep up with the changing definition of marriage that is being accepted in many states.
Different Laws in Different States
One common problem that arises for same-sex couples who decide to marry presents itself where the couple has a marriage ceremony in a state that legally recognizes same-sex marriage, but reside in another state, where they may later seek to divorce. An issue comes up if the state in which the couple seeks a divorce does not recognize same-sex marriage to begin with. Cases like this can potentially present many legal obstacles. If the state in which the couple lives does not recognize same-sex marriage, they would most likely lack any jurisdiction to void the marriage, something many judges in such states are reportedly deciding.
The issue of domestic violence continues to be a popular topic in national news. Many describe it as an epidemic, perhaps in part due to its inherent capability to reach broad bases of socioeconomic victims as well we perpetrators. Likely due in large part to the media attention this topic has received recently, data regarding domestic violence is being analyzed by experts on a frequent basis.
Data Reports
Statistically speaking, there are two very different sides to the story when it comes to matters of domestic violence. On one hand, states that incidents of domestic violence between romantic partners has dropped by about 60 percent since the mid-1990s, according to figures released by the Justice Department. However, that decrease has been essentially stalled since approximately 2004, with similar numbers holding constant for the past several years. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 “serious” violence incidents involving intimate partners were committed per day in 2013. Such incidents are defined as involving either sexual assault or aggravated physical assault.
NOTE: As of July 2017, the law governing child support in Illinois has changed. Please see our Child Support page for more information.
Child support issues are often only part of a family law case before the court. These cases usually involve other issues such as an underlying divorce or child custody and visitation schedules. However, that does not prevent child support matters from being hotly debated and becoming the subject of much contention between opposing parties. Some may even argue that the current system of determining child support payments encourages litigation, or at least draws out the negotiation process. A past article discussed possible reform to the child support guidelines in Illinois.
Many factors can lead to the dissolution of a marriage. Sometimes, it may be one event or incident that led to a break up, and other times it may be a pattern of behavior that is endured over a long period of time. A recent article discussed how a common act, giving one another the “silent treatment,” can have possible long-term effects on a relationship.
Argument Weapon
For many couples, using the silent treatment may be a common go-to weapon for use in arguments. However, doing so repeatedly may not only be a sign of deeper issues, but it can also cause further damage to a relationship, even ending in divorce. Choosing not to speak with your partner about issues that are present in your relationship stifles communication in a quite obvious way and also causes those issues to go unaddressed and unresolved.
Divorce cases certainly involve a change of circumstance for both parties, whether the dissolution of the marriage was expected or not. As such, certain laws are in place to ease the transition for one party, or both parties in some cases. Specifically, the concept of alimony is generally intended to allow an ex-spouse who may have sacrificed a career or education in favor of the family gain some financial stability for a period of time upon divorce.
The law in most states, including Illinois, sets guidelines for alimony and factors for the court to consider in determining an amount of alimony award, if any. However, there are a number of other states with arguably antiquated laws which allow for lifetime receipt of alimony with little consideration given to factors such as length of marriage or a change in circumstance of either party. Lawmakers and advocates across the country are debating the concept of alimony and whether the idea of post-divorce spousal maintenance is outdated.
Whether parents are married or not, many of the same issues and emotions are present within the context of a child custody case. Both parents may be petitioning the court for custody rights, visitation time, and/or child support in regards to any children they have in common. However, there are some important considerations for unmarried parents to take note of in the context of a child custody case, not all of which would be relevant to married parents.
Parental Rights
Generally, both unmarried mothers and unmarried fathers have a right to custody of their minor child provided that they are not considered to be unfit parents or otherwise unable to care for the child. While maternity is easily established, an unmarried father may have an initial issue with petitioning a court for custody if he is not listed on the child’s birth certificate or if the mother does not acknowledge paternity. This situation would likely lead the father to seek to establish paternity in a parentage action before the court in order to legally be declared the father of the minor child. Once it is properly proven that each parent has a right to the child and is not unfit to be a parent, the parties can ask the court to make relevant determinations regarding the child, such as physical custody, legal custody, visitation, and child support. While the issue of parentage is certainly not the only consideration for unmarried couples to be aware of in a child custody case, it is arguably the most common.
Navigating the process of divorce is often difficult enough, particularly when children are involved. Add to that the stress of dealing with an ex-spouse who is removing themselves from a relationship and the process can become even more challenging. The involved parent is left to address these issues with the children and may not know how to do so. A website has offered the following tips on helping children through this very type of situation.
Tips on Dealing with a Disengaged Parent
Newly single parents who are trying to establish a new way of life with their children have a difficult task ahead of them, but when children are also facing rejection by their other parent, additional issues must be addressed. This situation often brings up feelings of anger and sadness, not to mention confusion on the part of both parent and child. Disengaged parents will often cancel visitation, fail to participate in activities with their children, or neglect to attempt to communicate or connect with their children. Here are some ways that a parent can help their child deal with a disengaged parent:
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