In my recent post about child custody, I explained the main types of child custody. One of the more rare child custody arrangements, is what is referred to as ‘bird’s nest’ custody.

In this unique situation instead of the children switching between mom’s house and dad’s house on a set schedule, it is the parents who rotate in and out of the house, while the children stay in one centralized location, one home.

It seems... more

When parents decide to end a marriage and divorce one another they must go through the long and heartbreaking process of dividing up the life that the two of them have built together, including dividing the time spent with the children. The parents must work out between the two of them who is going to have custody of the children when, how long the children will be with one parent before switching to the custody of the other parent, how to split up the holidays, who provides the transportation for visitation, and so forth.

Many parents have a hard time working through all of these ... more

Occasionally, after being served with the petition for a stepparent adoption a non-custodial parent who has been out of his or her child’s life for years, will decide to become a part of their child’s life instead of giving consent for the adoption. While the custodial parent may be disappointed that the plans for an adoption are not going to work out, unless the non-custodial parent would be a danger to the child, an effort to reestablish a relationship between the... more

I recently came across this website on the Internet called, Win Your Child Custody War. The site is full of an array of books pertaining to custody, visitation, and court. And while I thought that several of the books would be a great resource for many families going through a divorce, it was the title of the website itself that made me cringe. Win your child custody war, why does their need to be a war? The words war and child shouldn’t be in the same sentence, let alone two grown... more

This scenario happens to families who are preparing for a stepparent adoption on a daily basis. The family has come to terms with the biological parent bailing out on the child, and after being able to move past the emotions that go along with that have decided on stepparent adoption. Sometimes it is the adoption petition that sparks a non-custodial parents newfound interest in his or her estranged child, while other times it simply seems to be life’s funny way of throwing off our plan for how we wanted things to go! A non-custodial parent whom has been... more

Weather you are a foster parent, stepparent, or recently divorced, you know about the difficulties that come with dealing with custody and visitation issues. Not only can the holidays can be stressful and hard on the adults, but it can also be extremely stressful and tense for the child as well.

Divorce is emotionally draining, especially during the holidays and special occasions. Divorced parents must communicate with even more diplomacy, patience, mutual understanding, respect, and tolerance than married couples planning holiday travel, dinners, reunions and... more

This check list is helpful to those who are still just in the begining stages of stepparent adoption, as well as those who have already completed the process, and have found that their own marriage has gone sour. An adoptive stepparent has the same custody and visitation rights as a biological parent does, so if the adoptive parent finds him or herself in a position where they wish to get out of their marriage, they can be assured that they will still be able to have contact with their adopted stepchild.

Hire the right lawyer, with the right experience,... more

Caren MacDonald reportedly lied to court officials when she told them that her son had been “touched,” in order to win custody of her then 12-year-old son. This case is coming to trial finally, after a five-year wait. The case is expected to raise issues about gay parenting, as it is her ex husbands ex boyfriend whom Caren MacDonald claimed had inappropriately touched her son.

After losing custody of her son in 2001, Caren MacDonald unexpectedly took her son out of private school one day, and then fled on a plane to Costa Rica with her son for nine... more

I found the story below on the Yahoo news page. I decided to share it, because I thought that it was an interesting, as well as thought provoking article. We all support, and think about our troups, but many do not stop to think about how badly their lives, as well as the lives of their families, are completely turned around while they are away serving for our great nation.

If parents can lose custody of their children due to being away for long periods while in the service, does this mean that courts will eventually have the power to start taking... more

When a child is involved in a custody situation where visitation occurs between two households, and/or two parental figures, parents may find themselves wanting to question their child about the visit upon the child’s return, not for the benefit of the child, but in order to pump the child for information about the other parent.

This can be very damaging to the child, who becomes caught in the middle of an impossible to get out of situation, as well as to the relationship between the child, and the parent who is pumping him or her after each visit, or whatever... more