Child support exists to help fund a child’s needs but might not be enough to help them live a full life. How are these needs calculated? The result could seriously impact your daily finances and your taxes.
How is child support determined in Ohio?
Time to make summer child custody plans?
There may still be a chill in the air, but it is never too soon to start coordinating with your ex about summer plans with the kids. Whether your plans include camps, activities or relaxing at home, it is easier to start the discussion earlier rather than later.
For the most part, you and your ex may have already decided who will do what with the children over the summer and where the kids will get to spend their time. As summer gets closer, you may find yourself wanting to make a change in the custody agreement.
What factors determine child support in Ohio?
As a parent, your first concern is the welfare of your children. During a divorce, you want to help them understand and shield them from as much drama as possible. You would also like to keep their lives as much the same as you can.
If you are the primary custodial parent of the children, the court may award child support to help with the expenses of raising your children. Here is what determines child support payments in Ohio.
Parallel parenting may be an option in hostile divorces
Today, most divorced couples end up with joint child custody, but this does not necessarily look the same family to family. Many divorced parents with joint custody opt for a co-parenting situation because it can be a good way for a child to remain close with both parents and it allows both parents to share equally in parenting responsibilities.
However, those who opt to co-parent must interact with each other often to maintain consistent rules for the child and to ensure there is equal participation in decision making. Co-parenting requires cooperation and effective communication between parents, which can be difficult for many divorced couples. When cooperation and communication fail, the resulting conflict is often hurtful to the child, who is often caught in the middle. Although some parents may not be able to successfully co-parent together, they may still be able to successfully share parenting responsibilities and remain equally close with their child through a parallel parenting situation.
What the new tax law means for divorcing couples
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. For divorcing couples, there are some important changes that could affect asset division and spousal support.
Books to help your kids through the divorce
When parents are divorcing, their kids can feel alone and not know who to talk to or what to do. This is where a good book can make all the difference in the world.
From picture books to young adult novels, the world of “kid-lit” is full of books about every subject, from every perspective, including divorce. To help you get the materials you need to help your kid, here are is a list of some new and classic books that you may want to give your child.
If I place my child for adoption, can they find me someday?
It is a difficult decision to place a child for adoption, with competing emotions and desires. If you are pregnant or have recently given birth, one of the main questions you have may be whether you will ever see your baby again.
Open adoptions are very popular among birth parents and adoptive parents, especially as social science has indicated how beneficial it is for all parties. In these adoptions, both parties communicate regularly with one another and often the biological parents can be part of the child's life.
Navigating holiday scheduling after a divorce
The first holiday after a divorce can be extremely difficult. It can become even more complicated when children are involved. Where will your children spend the holidays now? Will you spend the holidays completely alone? What if you and your ex-spouse both want to spend the same holidays with your children?
Every divorced parent has asked themselves these questions at some point. Consider the following three tips as you plan your holiday schedule after a divorce:
How to deal with the stress of a divorce
Whether or not the divorce was your idea, going through a divorce is difficult. Even if you are happy to be leaving a bad marriage, you may feel sad that it did not work out. If you tried to make it work, you are experiencing feelings of frustration, sorrow and maybe even anger. More than likely, you are feeling some combination of these emotions. You are also probably feeling stressed.
During a divorce, unknown factors can cause stress, like worrying about how your assets will be divided or who will get primary custody of the children. Then there are the known stressors like that one or both or you must move out of the house and that you are being forced to start over. Worrying about these concerns produces an incredible amount of stress. Here are a few ideas to help you cope with feelings of stress during a divorce.
Three misconceptions about divorce mediation
Many people going through a divorce want to try to avoid a courtroom battle. Even though you and your former partner do not want to be together, it does not mean you want to fight tooth and nail for every piece of silverware.
One alternative to court is mediation. A mediator is a neutral third party that meets with you and your former partner to encourage discussion and compromise. The mediator helps you talk through issues and ultimately reach an agreement concerning your divorce.
