Children Archives - Page 2 of 29

Factors Influencing the Court’s Decision Regarding Custody of the Child

August 28, 2019 by Mandy

When all the opportunities of reconciliation seem exhausted, divorce may be the only option left. Although divorce sounds like the best decision for a couple who can no longer live together, it can be detrimental to children.

No matter how you try to save your children from the pain and burden of separation, it is ultimately going to fall upon them when the court decides the custody of your child. Here are the factors that the court might look into when deciding where the “best interests of the child” lie, whether with you or your ex.

In case of younger children, the court understands that they will be majorly affected if uprooted from the neighborhood they grew up in. Therefore, the court tries to make arrangements for younger children to live within the same house with both or one of the parents.

The court might later allow alternate arrangements after the child is of a certain age.

The parents’ wishes are also heard by the court. Even though they are not given a lot of gravitas by the court, the judge certainly considers the plea of the parents.
Apart from parents’ wishes, which also be fraudulent, the court will hear statements from the children too. Then, it considers the quality of relationship the children share with each of their parents, individually.
The physical and mental health of the parents, as well as the children, play a crucial role too. If one of the parents has a chronic disease which renders her or him unable to work, they may only be given visitation rights by the court.
Before granting physical custody of the child, the court also considers whether the primary custodial parent is willing to share custody with the other partner or not. This is because the court does not want to deprive the other parent of attachment to their own child.

So, if the custody won’t harm the visiting rights of another parent, it is often given to one of them.

Even if one of the parents is providing the majority of the care for the children, the court is more concerned with maintaining a consistent life for the children. Therefore, if one of the spouses tends to travel a lot, the other spouse is more likely to receive the physical custody of the kid. Other than that, the traveling parent will still likely have shared legal custody and visitation rights.
The court asks both the parents to submit a child custody evaluation form before making the decision. This is done to determine which parent of the two will provide a more loving and secure environment for the children.
The parent who is able to provide better living accommodations, a separate room for the children, and a safe neighborhood is also given preference.
The opinions of character witnesses as well as the ability of the parent to provide for the health and wellness needs of the children are also considered.
If the children are adolescent, their wishes to live with a parent are also considered.

These factors are considered by the courts in a general sense. However, the court’s criteria in extreme cases might differ.

9 Strange Things Nobody’s Going to Tell You About Motherhood

August 21, 2019 by Mandy

Ah, motherhood. It’s glorious. It’s indescribable. It’s magical. And, oh yeah, it’s FULL of surprises — some that you’ll like, others that you won’t, and a few that will just leave you wondering what the heck is going on.

Here are 9 of the wonderful, woeful, and just plain strange things that await you in the land of motherhood:

You’re going to do a lot of singing. And I don’t mean belting out your best Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera impersonation. I mean you’ll turn everyday, ordinary activities and processes into songs, like “today we’re going to take a bath — la la la — take a bath— yes yes yes.” Keep it up and you might be on American Idol!
You will become an EXPERT in both diaper procurement and diaper installation. Truly, this should be a specialized skill that you can put on your LinkedIn profile and resume, like electrical wiring or foundation repair.
You will discover a distinct difference between cleanliness and tidiness. Unless you happen to have one of those maids like they do on Downton Abbey, you will strive to achieve the former, but will totally ignore the latter — and that is perfectly fine. Being a perfectionist is great, but finding pragmatic solutions is more often the priority for new mothers.
You’ll empathize with other parents. You’ll look into their eyes, they’ll look into your eyes, and you’ll bond and understand each other on a deep, primal level. Often, the telepathic conversation goes like this: “When was the last time you slept more than four hours in a row? “I don’t know.” “Me neither.”
You’ll gain some new friends, and lose some old friends. It just happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
You’ll feel like starting a blog so that you don’t have to answer endless questions like “when are you going back to work?” or “what do you think about homeschooling?”
Your sex life will probably sex die. That’s OK. It’ll come back later when it’s time. You’ll have other interests and priorities.
You’ll never get bored, because no two days are the same. Actually, no two hours are the same.
You will be amazed, astonished and in awe — and words won’t be able to describe how you feel. (Ok, you might already expect this, but I wanted to end things on a positive note!)

How to Prepare Your Child for University

August 19, 2019 by Mandy

Source: Unsplash | Element5 Digital

Sending your child off to university is a major milestone in life. Ideally, they’ll graduate, land a good-paying job, and become independent. However, dropping out of school or failing to make the right choices can handicap them personally and professionally. Here are a few tips on how to prepare your child for university and make the most of their educational experience. We’ll also explain why these tips benefit your child, even when they may seem counterintuitive at times.

Step Back and Advise When Necessary

You aren’t raising a child to be a dependent creature forever. The goal is to raise a competent, capable and independent adult. If you haven’t stopped hovering, you need to do so now.

Do give your children input on the selection of a university and a course. Be available for questions on how to handle homework, difficult professors or disputes with peers. When your kids move into their accommodation, let them settle in. Let them know you’re available if they want to reach out to you, but don’t call, email or constantly demand check-ins with you. Remember that they may not be with you, but they are not alone. They have classmates, professors and others to reach out to for help.

Learn Everything You Can About Your Financial Options

First, talk to the student finance staff to learn everything you can. Determine how everything is going to be paid for. For example, learn how much it costs to live on campus versus at home and how much to expect to pay in living costs.

Furthermore, learn about scholarships, grants, and on-campus jobs. Anything you can do to reduce the cost of your child’s education reduces how much you have to pay or borrow. One major change on the horizon is the reintroduction of maintenance grants for poor students. Loan Pig has a nice piece on new student finance proposals that covers this and other Department of Education proposals that will affect the total cost of university. You can find out more at loanpig.co.uk.

Create a budget for the costs you have to pay. Talk to your child about how to live within that budget and how to track their spending. Then help them set up their own student bank account. Let them take charge of the budget but check back with them periodically. After all, this is a critical life skill they need to learn.

Offer Adulting Lessons

If you’ve been doing everything for your children up to this point, you may have to give them some quick lessons on life skills they need to successfully live on their own. A surprising number of college students don’t know how to make spaghetti, boil an egg or make a cake from a box of mix. Give them cooking lessons so they don’t blow their grocery budget on eating out. You can encourage them to make their own meals by helping them buy cooking utensils and cookery. You may need to teach them how to do their own laundry or properly clean things too.

Keep on Top of Deadlines

The university application process is complicated. There are deadlines for everything from applying to the university to accommodations. There are deadlines for paying for courses. This is only the start since there will be coursework deadlines throughout one’s academic career. Help your child get organised and to stay on top of their deadlines. This is another critical life skill as anyone fired for failing to finish a project on time can attest.

Conclusion

Parents need to help their children enter university and manage their studies. However, they need to do it the right way if they want their children to be able to stand on their own after graduation.

5 Reasons To Choose Homeschooling For Your Kids

July 19, 2019 by Mandy

Schooling is about more than just education. Your child’s schooling experience molds their personality and character. Unfortunately, there are many risks for your little one to contend with at school. Bullying is getting out of hand, peer pressure is unavoidable, and there is a general concern about the new curriculums and programs being adopted in public schools.

Unsurprisingly, more parents are turning to homeschooling as a solution to these problems. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should consider doing it too, according to scholars at My Homework Done.

1. More Flexible Schedule

Schools have rigid schedules. The kids have to be in at the set time, and the hours seem long at times. That is why family time is so limited during school days.

Homeschooling gives you more time with your kids as the schedule is flexible. You get to set the learning times, and you can always work around the schedule to accommodate other activities. That helps to create a stronger bond between you and your little one right into adulthood. The feeling is amazing and fulfilling.

2. Control the Curriculum

Parents are voicing concern about some of the new curriculums and programs being introduced in public schools. They feel that these programs are confusing their kids and piling pressure on them to fall in line with mainstream ideologies. That is one of the main reasons why many parents are switching to homeschooling.

The convenience of homeschooling is that you get to decide what your child learns. You can take away all the negative programs and even add some more positive ones of your own.

3. Personalize and Customize Learning

Learning in public and private schools is based on a one-size-fits-all model. All students are expected to keep up with the pace regardless of their learning capabilities. Unfortunately, the truth is that some kids have difficulty learning. They can still learn and excel, but it has to be in a different way.

If your kid has difficulty learning, you should consider homeschooling. You can study your child’s learning patterns and come up with a personalized learning system. This way, they can learn with ease, and over time, they will get past their learning difficulties.

You will also be saving your child a lot of ridicule as kids who perform poorly in school tend to be targets for bullying from other kids.

4. Better Grades

Students are considerably underperforming nowadays, compared to the past. There are fewer students eligible for higher education today. That is because the education system is failing – but homeschooling, on the other hand, is not.

Research, conducted by the National Home Education Research Institute, has revealed that home-educated kids perform better than public school kids in the standardized tests. The average home-educated child scores about 30 percentile point more than a public school student. The rates are even higher among minorities whose public schooling experience is challenging.

That means that home-educated kids have better chances of admission to a university. It also means that their employment and entrepreneurial prospects are better. You’ll get great returns from your effort!

5. It Is Healthier And Safer

Public schools are becoming crowded; therefore, there are growing concerns about students’ health. The ongoing measles scare has only served to magnify these concerns. There are also fears that school shootings are getting out of hand. There have been many incidents of violence in schools, and it has left dozens dead and many more traumatized. These, too, are some of the main reasons why more parents are switching to homeschooling.

The public school systems are crumbling. Parents who are concerned with their kids’ well-being, fortunately, have the option to home-educate them. It is more effective, safer, cheaper, healthier, and you get to spend more time with your little ones.

The Juvenile Law: 5 Things You Need to Do When Your Child Is Arrested

July 12, 2019 by Mandy

Very few parents expect their child to be arrested. However, pre-teens and teens can be arrested for things that happen while they’re with their friends, while they’re with their parents, or while they’re at school. No matter why the child is arrested, there are some things a parent needs to do to help control the outcome of the situation.

Find an Attorney for Your Child

Children, like adults, should not speak with the police without a lawyer present. The child, however, still has the right to a lawyer and can refuse to answer questions without their lawyer. As soon as possible after an arrest, parents should look for a lawyer that has experiencing helping children who have been arrested. Lawyers like those from the Khonsari Law Group understand the complexities of juvenile law and how to help children who have been arrested.

Request to be Present During Questioning

Parents, in many cases, do not have a right to be present while their child is being questioned. However, it doesn’t hurt to ask to speak with the child or to be in the room while the child is being questioned. If the answer is no, let the officers know that a lawyer has been hired and is on the way. If the parent is allowed to sit in during questioning, they need to be respectful of the situation and should remind the child that they do not need to answer questions without a lawyer present to avoid self-incrimination.

Request Copies of All Documents Relating to Arrest

Parents should request copies of all documents relating to the arrest. These papers should be kept in a folder together, so they’re easily accessible at any time during or after the case. Documents the parent may request will include copies of police reports, information from the police or the courts about the arrest, information from mental health professionals, or any other documents the parent receives after the arrest. Along with keeping all of the documents, the parent should make sure a copy is given to the child’s lawyer.

Find Support

Everything that is happening is overwhelming, even with a lawyer to help guide the parent and child through the process. Parents may want to seek support so they can get information from other parents who have been in the same situation and who have made it through the court system. There are local and national groups that cater to parents in this situation. It is important to remember, however, that the parent should avoid talking about the case before it is over to avoid any potential issues.

Work Closely with the Attorney

The court process can take a while, but the parent will need to make sure they continue to work closely with their child’s lawyer. The lawyer will be the one who speaks with the police, the prosecution, and others involved in the court process as well as the one who handles scheduling, looking through the evidence in the case, and forming a possible defense. It’s important for the parent to work closely with the lawyer to keep up with everything that is happening and to be able to make informed decisions based on the lawyer’s suggestions.

If your child has been arrested, use the tips here to handle the situation and help them work toward a better outcome. Contact a lawyer immediately to start getting the help you and your child need as the case goes through the courts.