School Resumes, How To Start The School Year Off Well!

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Tips to help your children prepare for the challenges of a new school year

school yearThe lazy, hazy days of summer are coming to an end, as a new school year is quickly approaching. My wife, a school teacher of 30 plus years, suggested that we post an article about this topic of starting the school year well.  So with her help, here it is.

Although they may protest, most children like the routine that school brings, and they are ready to get back into the swing of the school year. The new school year is exciting because students get the opportunity to have a fresh start. However it can also be a time of anxiousness when kids worry about things such as will I like my new teacher or will my friends be in my class? It can also be nerve racking for those who are going from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school, or for those who are moving to a new school district.

Establish school year traditions and celebrations

As adults we have memories of getting ready for a new … Read More... “School Resumes, How To Start The School Year Off Well!”

Child Abuse: Non-Abused Siblings Who Remain at Home

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Child Abuse: Non-Abused Siblings Who Remain at Home

child abuseA recent study identifies the nation’s most dangerous traffic intersection. It’s at Flamingo Road and Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The insurance company’s engineer who compiled the report notes that the intersection meets appropriate design standards and is regulated by traffic lights. He said traffic volume and driver error were two important factors in the high number of crashes.

Child Abuse and the Dangerous Child Protective Services Intersection

One of the most dangerous intersections of every state’s child welfare system is the decision whether to remove or leave non-abused siblings in a home in which another sibling has been a victim of child abuse or neglect.  Like the dangerous intersection in Pembroke Pines, CPS workers often face high caseloads (“traffic volume”) and constant life-threatening decisions (the possibility of “driver error”).

A Pennsylvania case involved “an appeal from the determination of dependency where the adoptive father committed sexual child abuse upon one of the children. The trial court removed the victim child from the home, placed her into foster care while allowing the non-abused child to remain under court … Read More... “Child Abuse: Non-Abused Siblings Who Remain at Home”

Divorce Time Out: Take Your Emotional Pulse

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Is Checking Your Emotional Pulse The Key To Dealing With Divorce?

divorce“I am in the divorce process up to my elbows. I have paperwork for my lawyer, deadlines for my job, parent conferences for my kids, friends coming for dinner. I have a birthday party to plan, a lawn to mow, a dog with fleas. I haven’t slept more than five hours a night for months. My grey hairs are coming in with a vengeance and my skin is breaking out. Most of the food in my refrigerator looks like science experiments. I have no idea of world events, latest movies, or current songs. I have to get my kids to soccer practice, karate and guitar lessons. I have grocery shopping, vet appointments, orthodontics appointments, child therapy appointments, ob-gyn appointments. I have appointments with my lawyer, my accountant, my therapist. I have appointments with my children’s lawyers and therapists. I even have an appointment to sit down and talk with my soon to be ex- husband about vacation schedules! I need to get the house painted. The car is making a clanking noise of undeterminable origin. The … Read More... “Divorce Time Out: Take Your Emotional Pulse”

Divorce Rates Double for Boomers

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Longer Life Spans Factor Into Higher Divorce Rates

divorceDivorce rates for the general population throughout the United States have stabilized over the past several decades.  However, that’s not true for baby boomers.  Divorce rates among couples over 50 have doubled over the last two decades according to a recent study by Bowling Green State University Professor Susan L. Brown.  In the 1990s, fewer than 1 in 10 people who divorced were 50 or older.  In 2009, that figure soared to 1 in 4.  Dr. Brown utilized data from the federal government’s 2009 American Community Survey.  She also looked at demographics and found the highest rates were among black couples and the lowest rates among white couples.  Older adults who divorced also tended to be less educated than those who remained married.

Dr. Brown identified a number of factors that might help explain the increase in the divorce rates among baby boomers including longer life spans.  In addition, she found that the divorce rates for those who were in their second or third marriage was 2-1/2 times higher than for those in their first marriage.  Dr. Brown said, … Read More... “Divorce Rates Double for Boomers”

Child Custody: Parents versus Grandparents

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An Overview Of The Child Custody Case Timothy Cantrell v. Erica Trinkle (2011-CA-17)

child custodyThe Juvenile Court of Clark County, Ohio awarded custody of the minor child (“CC”) to the paternal grandparents. Mother appealed the decision.

Court of Appeals Holding:

The Juvenile Court’s finding that the Mother was an “unsuitable parent” was against the manifest weight of the evidence.

Parties to the action:

Timothy Cantrell:  Father of CC.
Erica Trinkle: Mother of CC.
Tracy and Randy Wood: Paternal grandparents of CC.

Facts of the child custody case:

Timothy Cantrell (“Father”) and Erica Trinkle (“Mother”) had a child, CC, out of wedlock in September 2007.  In March 2008, Mother’s Father was providing child care for CC while Mother was working.  An automobile accident occurred and the child was not injured. Allegations were made that the maternal Grandfather was intoxicated at the time of the accident.  That allegation was not substantiated. Following the automobile accident, a referral was made to the Clark County Children’s Services Board (“CSB”). Neither Father nor Mother complied with the voluntary case plan with CSB and the case was “closed” in December 2008.

In June 2008, … Read More... “Child Custody: Parents versus Grandparents”

Visitation: Stepparents are Parents Too!

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Stepparents are Parents too! Stepparent Visitation!

visitationI always like to talk about the connotations associated with the words we use every day. Whether they are positive or negative, the words we use can have a grave impact upon a person’s feelings. One such word that comes to mind is stepmom or stepdad. Generally, feelings associated with the word step anything can result in feelings of negativity. I am sure everyone remembers Cinderella’s EVIL stepmother! Being a stepchild, I understand why those feelings can sometimes arise. Blended families come with many obstacles. However, I also know why they can also be associated with very positive connotations and because of that I thank God every day for blessing me with my stepfather, my dad. In the spirit of Father’s Day, I would like to talk about laws in Ohio that have resulted in stepparent visitation and sometimes even custody!

Visitation and Ohio Law

Ohio has codified within its laws three (3) ways to seek visitation with a minor child. They include the following:

  1. Ohio Revised Code § 3109.051: “In a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, or a child
Read More... “Visitation: Stepparents are Parents Too!”

Help Kids Make Sense Of A World Where Events Appear Unfair And Illogical

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How We Can Help Kids Make Sense of Life’s Injustices Using Advice From A Dayton, Ohio Child Psychologist

help kids“Why did God take mommy to heaven?” asked Haley about the death of her mother due to a drug overdose.

Her dad said that God needed mom in heaven to help him, and that Haley should feel happy that God chose mom. That didn’t make much sense to this young child, so she began asking other people for their opinions.

I know what I was expected to tell her, but being asked questions without answers still leaves me uncomfortable.

Like the rest of us, Haley was trying to make some sense of a world where events often appear unfair, capricious and illogical. Similar questions come up frequently with kids during therapy.

“Why did my parents get a divorce?” “Why did my uncle abuse me?” “Why do other kids make fun of me?” “Why did I get cancer?”

We all adopt some view of the world that allows us to function in spite of life’s many apparent injustices and erratic events.

We may develop faith in an all-knowing God, and … Read More... “Help Kids Make Sense Of A World Where Events Appear Unfair And Illogical”

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