Posted on April 22, 2013 in Adoption

Often times, the biggest obstacle for families that adopt a child is to accept that their new child has other parents (birth parents) as well and to be able to discuss their child’s birth parents with their child. Whether or not adoptive parents are comfortable with it, their child will always have birth parents who will always be a part of his or her life.

It is very important for adoptive parents to let their children know that talking about both their adoptive family and their birth family is okay. Many children who are adopted have shared that, growing up, they did not feel that it was acceptable to openly talk about their adoption. These conversations, however, about the adoption, often bond adoptive parents and children when they take the time to discuss their feelings and thoughts about the process, and lessens the likelihood of these children growing up and feeling unable to trust others, and to have insecurities and separation from their adoptive families. It is also important for children to know about their birth parents.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on April 18, 2013 in Divorce

Even an easy divorce situation can take an emotional toll on a person and their views about getting into a new relationship. According to The Huffington Post, there are a few things that you can do to ensure that your new love life isn’t stressful.

The first thing that you want to do before jumping back in the dating pool after getting divorced is to reconcile your feelings. Chances are, you are not the same person that you were when last you were dating. Not only have you changed, but things have changed in the general dating world. Your habits and interests may have changed. You need to have a hand on and understand all of these changes before you can expect someone else to be understanding of you.

Take it slow. You may be harboring some bad feelings about your former spouse and the reasons that you divorced in the first place. You need to deal with these issues. Entering the dating world with a ton of unresolved baggage can lead to misunderstandings and unhealthy relationships. If you still find yourself bawling when thinking about your former relationship, you are not ready.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on April 14, 2013 in Divorce

A Swedish study has discovered that some women have a gene which may make them predisposed to divorce and breakups. The research concluded that this may be the reason why women who have this gene have a hard time committing or staying committed.

A variant of the A-allele gene, an oxytocin receptor gene, leaves women with the difficulty of bonding with people. Oxytocin, called the "cuddle chemical", and is a hormone that promotes feelings of love, bonding and maternal affection in women.

The study, done by the Karolinska Institute, examined the DNA of more than 1800 women and their partners. All the couples were either married or living together for at least five years. The women in the study who researchers found carried a variation of the A-allele gene were fifty percent more likely to report major marital issues and their partners were found to be very unsatisfied in the relationships.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on April 12, 2013 in In the News

Imagine growing up physically healthy, except unable to hear the world around you. The desire to learn, play sports and interact with other people through sound is strong, and there is a hearing device that can make that possible. Many insurance companies don't cover the $2,500 that it costs for a hearing device, and many are left without the chance to hear. Fortunately, a young girl has decided to help young deaf girls; a local community organization and individual have jumped in to support.

Sports lover Eliza Peters was born legally deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. Her family realized how much she wanted to be able to hear. After her father, John, arranged for her to have a surprise visit from ESPN’s Sarah Spain, Eliza decided that she wanted to help other deaf girls afford a hearing aid. Sarah Spain and Eliza Peters began a great friendship, and have created "Hear the Cheers", a charity. The charity, that is partnered with Chicago Hearing Society, is trying to raise $10,000 to provide funds to other girls whose families cannot afford hearing aids.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on April 04, 2013 in Child Custody and Support

Divorce and custody issues are always difficult for families to adjust to, but when one parent tries to alienate a child from the other parent, the effect on the child can be heartbreaking. The Parental Alienation Awareness Organization (PAAO) classifies parental alienation as a form or child abuse.

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) has been recognized as a psychological condition in which the child has such severe opposition to contact with one parent and/or overt hatred toward such parent when there is little and often, no logical reason to explain the child's behavior. Some warning signs that a child is suffering from PAS include:

• A sudden negative change in behavior or attitude toward a parent.
• The child has too much knowledge of details of the parents’ divorce proceedings.
• The child blames the parent for the other parent’s financial difficulties.
• Children are openly rude and hostile to the parent.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on March 31, 2013 in Family Law

When New York finally introduced no-fault divorces in 2010, it was the 50th state in the U.S. to do so. According to the Wall Street Journal, no-fault divorce was introduced in New York to help “do away with lengthy trials—reducing acrimony, containing costs, and sparing people additional emotional pain.” The Journal cites that for most divorcing couples the law has worked as intended, but there are some grey areas when it comes to no-fault divorces, including what, then, is grounds for divorce. In Illinois, a no-fault divorce does not affect child support, child custody, alimony, or any other of the myriad of divisions initiated during a divorce.   

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on March 27, 2013 in Family Law

According to the Huffington Post, while some people consider a good parent to be a sexy attribute in a spouse, being a good mom can often mean that a woman is a bad wife. This is for obvious reasons—that a person is so wrapped up in her or his children that there’s no forest for the trees, so to speak, but for less obvious reasons as well. Having children clearly changes a relationship, and if a person consistently puts the children above the relationship, both in small and large ways, the marriage can get rocky. The Huffington Post has some good ideas to keep this from happening, from calling each other your real names (instead of “mommy” and “daddy”), refusing to help with various bake sales and soccer practices, and keeping a regular date night. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on March 23, 2013 in Child Custody and Support

A new university study has found that children that have two religious parents are more likely to leave the church if his or her parents get divorced. Researchers from Baylor University discovered that children of divorce of religious parents are twice as likely to become estranged from their church compared to children of religious parents who stay together.

The lead author of the study and professor at Baylor University Jeremy Uecker told U.S. News and World Report that, “When both parents are religious, the effect of divorce has a negative effect of religiosity. They might think their parents’ marriage was ordained by God or something and that breakup can have more of an effect on their religiousness in adulthood.”

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on March 20, 2013 in Domestic Violence

The Violence Against Women Act, the law meant to prevent domestic abuse, has been expanded to protect gays, immigrants, Native Americans and sex-trafficking victims, according to the Chicago Tribune. President Barack Obama signed the updated version of the law at the Interior Department on March 7.

Don't put up with abuse. Contact a Geneva, IL Family Law Attorney as soon as possible.The new version of the law guarantees that Native American Indian women have better legal protection against abusers. Violent partners can now be arrested and prosecuted on Indian lands. The new law also makes shelters and other services more accessible to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims, and protects people from being discriminated.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on March 18, 2013 in Divorce

Your social media activity can affect your divorce proceedings.

Clicking those blue “like” buttons all across the internet may do more than marking you as a fan of a product. It could out you as gay, reveal how you vote, or even suggest that you are “an unmarried introvert with a high IQ and a weakness for nicotine,” according to The Whig.

A newly published study from the National Academy of Sciences concluded this in its findings. Researchers analyzed the likes of over 58,000 American Facebook users to make guesses about their personalities and behavior, even including whether they smoked, drank, or did drugs.

One author of the study, Cambridge University researcher David Stillwell, said the results may come as a surprise. “Your likes may be saying more about you than you realize.”

Facebook added its like button in 2009 and the thumbs up sign has become universal on social networks and common across the web as well. Facebook reported roughly 2.7 billion new likes are added to the internet every day. That means an increasing pool of data for marketers, managers, and anyone else interested, especially from people who aren’t careful with their privacy settings.

Continue Reading ››