“How often do parents cheat on each other?” asked 16-year-old Jason during one of our recent sessions.
There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments. I knew this was going to be extremely difficult for Jason to handle, so I started by providing him with some facts about marital infidelity.
I told him that it was impossible to really know the answer to his question, as people are reluctant to be truthful. However, experts estimate that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of married people have sexual relationships with someone other than their spouses.
“Do they usually get divorced once it’s discovered?” he asked.
“Not always,” I responded. “About 30 to 50 percent of the time, marriages can survive in spite of this serious problem.” He seemed reassured by my answer.
There are typically concerns behind such questions. Jason eventually told me that he had read an e-mail on his dad’s computer describing in graphic detail the sexual contact that had apparently been going on between his dad and a female friend.
Jason was emotionally traumatized after reading this letter. He felt angry at his dad, but … Read More... “Should Teen Expose Dad’s Infidelity?”
For many kids, Halloween is one of the most important holidays of the year. The child of divorce is faced with choices and concerns. Who will take me treat-or-treating? Who will get my costume and dress me? Where will I trick-or-treat?
Question Presented: Is it likely that one spouse would be granted an award of spousal support in a divorce for having been infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) by the other spouse?
The Affidavit of Financial Disclosure (or a Financial Affidavit) is a very important document in domestic relations, especially in divorce matters. If you are pursuing an agreed upon dissolution of marriage (instead of a divorce), the Financial Affidavits are required, but they are not nearly as important as in divorce actions. In dissolutions, the Financial Affidavit establishes the required disclosure of all assets and liabilities which is the foundation for any dissolution. Also, in a dissolution, since the parties have everything settled between them, any issues regarding what Husband earns or what Wife earns are largely irrelevant because the parties have already determined which party will be paying child support and/or spousal support (alimony) and the amount thereof. The Court is not likely to interfere with those agreements.
Consistently, one of my favorite blogs is Michael Mastracci’s Divorce Without Dishonor Blog. Mike is an excellent attorney from Baltimore, Maryland. His own difficult and acrimonious divorce and child custody battle led to his personal interest in collaborative family law. Both attorneys and clients should include his blog on their frequent read list. Mike regularly espouses ethical, moral and philosophical standards that we should aspire to meet. I have personally and professionally been a proponent of child welfare issues for over 30 years. So, when I read his recent post about 
Psychotherapist and Guest Contributor Donna F. Ferber sent me an email a month or so ago encouraging me to read Suzi Parker’s article about famous couples who chose, rather than going through a divorce, to simply live separate lives. Click 
In recent years there has been a steady and alarming increase in the use of false allegations of vague, unsupported claims of domestic violence and even vaguer claims of child abuse, used solely in an attempt to find a shortcut to a presumed better position in custody cases. What is more alarming is the observation that more often than not the attorneys of record for the litigants making these claims have been those unschooled in and relatively new to the family law arena, who have chosen to step outside their actual specialty and add a minor “division” of family law to their practices. Often, a new, young, unskilled associate is added to the practice to handle these family law issues.