The Child Support Guidelines govern how child support is calculated. First, determine your base amount using this handy online tool. Then, adjustments up or down may be required. On top of the base amount parents may still need to share children’s “special expenses” such as child care, health premiums/expenses, education, and extra-curricular activities. If the children are … [Read more...] about 4-Part Series: Aspects of Separation & Divorce – Part 1: Child Support
Co-Parenting
How can I help my kids get through our divorce happy and healthy?
First, I want to congratulate you for recognizing that you need to focus energy on helping your kids get through your separation and/or divorce. The other day I heard a statistic from a U.S. based study which astonished me: 45% of families going through a divorce only say a couple of remarks to their kids to explain the fact that Mom and Dad are getting a divorce. 15% of families say … [Read more...] about How can I help my kids get through our divorce happy and healthy?
How Involved Should Our Children Be in Parenting Plan Decisions?
This is a very tough question. For some reason, many separating couples believe that at some magical age, the children should have the right to decide which parent they will live with after separation. Certainly, I would agree that there are many instances where children should be asked to meaningfully participate in decisions being made about their family. But for children to … [Read more...] about How Involved Should Our Children Be in Parenting Plan Decisions?
Japan Signs on to 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention
The Hague Child Abduction Convention is an international document which has 2 goals: (1) to secure the prompt return of children wrongfully removed to or retained in a Contracting State (a state / country that has signed onto the Convention); and (2) to ensure that the custody laws of one Contracting State are respected in another Contracting State. In the 1st scenario, if children were … [Read more...] about Japan Signs on to 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention
Huff Post Canada – Family Mediation: The Best Practice For Parents And Their Children When The Marriage Is Over
Link to Article June 20, 2011 – Howard H. Irving, PhD. writes about the devastation he sees amongst children of divorce when parents decide to use the adversarial system to resolve their marriage disputes. He acknowledges that the first instinct is for parents to lay blame and find fault with the other, but that when we take a step back it is likely not the best avenue for the children if … [Read more...] about Huff Post Canada – Family Mediation: The Best Practice For Parents And Their Children When The Marriage Is Over