How Do You Prepare Your Children for Divorce?

Here are six ways to be proactive with your kids to ease the difficulties and stress they may feel during a divorce.

Happy, Healthy Kids

Co-parenting Summers

Help children stay connected with their other parent.

Summer is in full swing. School is out. Parents find themselves with the blessing of being around their children 24 hours a day. For parents who have to share parenting time with an ex, the summer can be a very special time for the children and parent they get to spend the summer with. For parents who find themselves away from their children for extended periods of time, it can be a heart wrenching experience. But, what about the children? If nearly half of all married couples divorce, that means approximately half the children in America do not live with both parents at the same time. Half the kids are having an emotional struggle this summer. How can we help children adjust? It is very important to encourage a relationship between …

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Mom About Town

MeetUp Groups For Almost Anything

Find local groups of people with similar interests in Northeast Cobb and surrounding areas.

Have you been looking for new friends, other moms, young professionals or fellow bowlers? There is a wonderful website for meeting individuals with similar interests to you. Join a current group or start your own meetup group. You can find groups for hiking, biking, bowling, sky diving, photography, art, dog lovers, single moms, divorced individuals, business women, networking groups, braves fans and more.  How does it work? Go to www.meetup.com.  You can search by zip code, city, interest or upcoming events. Join a group and attend their upcoming meeting or event.  This is a fantastic way to find individuals with common interests. Many moms are busy, or just don't get out, and really want to find other adults to spend time with. MeetUp.…

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Julia Harris

3:23 pm on Saturday, February 19, 2011

I like the 35Up! Meetup group. It's so popular that unless you RSVP immediately to new events, you'll be on the waiting list and rarely does anyone cancel.   more ›

Moms Talk: Does Your Child Need Counseling?

After divorce, how do you know when your child needs help dealing with their emotions?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the Tucson shootings? How can we help our children's schools weather …

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Northeast Cobb Legal Column

Who Gets the Kids?

When a couple with children decides to end the marriage one of the most difficult questions to ask is who gets the kids.

When we get married and have children we never suspect that one day they will be treated like property to be divided between two owners; yet, once a divorce begins that is exactly what can happen. In fact, custody battles in a divorce proceeding are usually the most expensive both emotionally and financially.  Sadly, it is usually the children who pay the ultimate price. In Georgia, there is not a single set of rules to determine who will receive custody. The father and the mother are equally able to seek custody. The courts, being courts of equity, look toward multiple factors when making a custody determination. However, the one rule which trumps all of the other factors is that the court is ultimately concerned with the best interest of…

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Lindsey Davidson

1:14 pm on Tuesday, December 28, 2010

As a child of a divorced home, I think this is really important advice. Especially this time of year. Thanks for sharing this.   more ›

Mom About Town

Early Christmas Gifts Best For Some Families

Limited holiday visitation among divorced families results in early Christmas presents for some children.

The divorce rate in America is said to be 50 percent of first marriages, 67 percent of second, and 74 percent of third marriages, according to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri. If that many families are split up, that means over half the children in America are split between two homes, especially during holidays. With limited time during Christmas, what do you do about presents? My children are with me until the day after Christmas. Do I make them wait the entire week and then open presents on Christmas Day and only be able to play with their toys for one day, or do I let them spend their week vacation being able to jump on their new trampoline? Weeks ago, I decided it would be …

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Northeast Cobb Legal Column

Divorce Could Be A Lifesaver

An abusive marriage is not worth dying over. If you cannot afford an attorney, there are legal options.

In September there were two shootings in Savannah, in less than two weeks, allegedly due to domestic violence.  In one shooting, the victim was killed.  In the other shooting, the victim was hospitalized in critical condition.  More than 100 people are killed each year in Georgia as a result of domestic violence.  The majority of these victims are women (Georgia Commission on Family Violence).  This does not include the hundreds of victims who are not killed but live in hostile and destructive environments. As an attorney, I regularly deal with people who choose to live in situations that are incredibly destructive and potentially deadly.  Many times this abuse has not manifested itself as physical abuse.  Domestic abuse does not have to …