December 2012
1 post
Talladega nights: The ballad of Ricky Bobby →
The other day I was talking with my son about how he was feeling about living in two houses and having divorced parents, and especially with the holidays apporaching. His answer, “I like living in two houses and especially this time of the year for I get two Christmases”. You have to give our kids credit for they are in many ways stronger than I will ever be concerning the split of...
November 2012
1 post
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How to Tackle Thanksgiving as a Divorced Dad (or...
Thanksgiving is a holiday based on people coming together to give thanks. If you are a divorced dad, this aspect of the holiday can get immensely complicated and stressful – but it does not have to be.
The nuclear family is no longer the majority. Instead, the American family is made up of half siblings and step-moms, in-laws and cousins. Forty percent of children now grow up in fatherless...
July 2012
1 post
What is a girl (or guy) to do?
I see it over and over again! Co parents who decide their own schedules and parenting responsibilities as they wish which results in the other co parent having to pick up the pieces. And this happens everyday even with court orders and decrees that are very well documented.
How about an example? A good friend calls me to say that her daughter just spoke to her Dad and that he will be picking her...
June 2012
6 posts
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Enforcement of Orders
This is a very common question and one that requires legal action. A motion for enforcement may be filed to enforce a divorce decree or a child support, child custody or visitation order. In an enforcement action the movant is the person who files the motion and the respondent is the person who has allegedly violated the court’s order.
A party effected by a divorce decree which required the...
4 tags
Information About Modifying Your Divorce Decree
Any time parents with children divorce, there are specific parts of the divorce decree relating to the children These include conservatorship (the word we use instead of “custody”), child support, and periods of possession (commonly called “Visitation”). The Texas courts have the power to change the parts of a divorce relating to children until the children get out of high...
7 tags
Child Custody in Texas
In Texas, the court (or the parties by agreement) will (1) appoint one spouse as the Sole Managing Conservator of the child/children (the party having custody), and the other party as the Possessory Conservator of the child/children (the party having visitation), or (2) appoint both parents as Joint Managing Conservators of the child/children and then allocate the rights and responsibilities...
6 tags
When can a child choose which parent to live with...
This is a very common question and one which is HIGHLY misunderstood. The Texas Family Code section that deals with a child being able to choose a parent to live with is found in §153.009. This is the new statute and repeals the old law found in §153.008.
The old Texas statute stated that a child 12 years of age or older could file with the Court in writing the name of the parent who the child...
May 2012
3 posts
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Lawyers Really Care
How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb? None lawyers only screw us.
I have yet to meet anyone who likes their lawyer! And I can personally tell you that I have never disliked anyone as much as I have my spouses lawyer. They only care about one thing and it is green (or plastic). So be aware now that in every case I have ever discussed legal counsel does not care.
So what do...
5 tags
Single Again!
On August 17 2007 it became official. I was part of a growing trend and now labeled a single father. After almost 16 years of marriage and four years prior dating I became single again but this time I was a lot older and had two small children.
And to make the situation even worse my spouse was (and continues) to pull out all the stops to make this a terrible process for me, family, friends...
