Have questions about divorce and family law? Weinberger Divorce & Family Law Group, LLC founder, family law expert Bari Weinberger was recently asked by Divorce Magazine to lend her authority to answer readers’ commonly asked questions regarding divorce, child custody and other family law issues. You can find Bari’s answers as part of the magazine’s library of Expert FAQs. Read more
There is an interesting theory in New Jersey family law—that of the psychological parent. In today’s world, there are all different types of families. The “blended” family is becoming more and more common since the days of The Brady Bunch. Many moms and dads remarry, creating stepparents and stepchildren; half siblings and stepsiblings. Same-sex couples have children, where one of the couple is the biological parent and the other is not.
When a third person, not the biological mom and dad, takes an active role in the life of a child, he or she can become what is known as a “psychological parent.” Does this describe you? Read more
One of the most painful byproducts of a high conflict divorce is watching your ex manipulate your children into believing that you’re a bad parent. Parent-child relationships that were strong before the divorce can be damaged almost overnight when an alienating parent lures a child into the Cult of the Bad Mom/Dad. Brainwashing tactics include bad-mouthing, lies, manipulation of events, and a constant barrage of negatives about the other parent…similar to a political smear campaign.
Treating parental alienation in a family or joint parent therapy setting is challenging because it is unlikely that the alienator will agree to go to therapy or that you will be able to agree on a therapist. Judges can mandate family therapy or parenting classes, but unfortunately, they can’t make an alienator listen to what the therapist has to say.
Some good news? You don’t necessarily need a judge or mental health professional in order to take action and give your child a more balanced picture of you and your relationship. Here are three strategies you can put into action right now to help stop parental alienation and protect your relationship with your kids. Read more
In divorce, narcissistic parents often buffer the pain of a failed marriage by trying to destroy their ex’s relationship with the children. Unlike healthy parents, who aim to work themselves out of a job by preparing children to live independently, a narcissist sees their kids as extensions of themselves. They cannot tolerate the thought that their children might grow up to chart their own course. Read more
Are you an alcoholic with kids — or are you married or divorced from an alcoholic spouse? Here is how alcoholism affects child custody, and what an alcoholic parent can do to regain visitation rights. Read more
When ruling on child custody, courts consider a parent’s use of drugs and alcohol. The reason why is fairly straightforward: preoccupation with obtaining drugs, and the impairment and aftereffects of being intoxicated, cause people to neglect their children’s physical and emotional needs. Using drugs clouds judgment and can put children in imminent danger. Read more
When a transition is as difficult as divorce, it’s understandable that you might want to pull off the band-aid as fast as possible. But rushing the process, or making decisions fueled by emotion instead of reason, may yield devastating life-long consequences. Both genders can make mistakes during dissolution but some are more common to men. Here is a list of divorce “don’ts” – and tips on how to avoid making them. Read more
When spouses make the decision to separate or divorce, the next step typically involves one spouse moving out of the family home. But is this next step the right step? If you are the spouse thinking about moving out, make sure you have considered all the potential legal ramifications of leaving your home.
Should you stay or go? Here are four questions you need to be able to answer before making a move:
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Your fondness for posting vacation photos on social media platforms may come back to haunt you during a custody battle. At least, that’s what happened to a psychiatrist in New York in 2015. After she and her husband split, she posted Facebook photos of herself enjoying the sights in Italy and Boston. Her husband claimed these pictures were evidence that her traveling schedule kept her away from home too often and that he, the primary caregiver for their 4-year-old son, should be awarded full custody. The judge ruled that the wife’s social media profile should be allowed as evidence and ordered her to release her login information.
This story demonstrates how even the benign use of social media can have potentially devastating consequences in custody proceedings. With most people having at least some social media footprint, divorce cases like this one are likely to become more frequent in family court. Here are some social media do’s and don’ts to consider when going through divorce. Read more
Holidays can be a challenging time for divorced families especially when people crave glowing, Norman Rockwell-type gatherings. It can be upsetting having to split holiday time with your ex and knowing that the person passing the gravy to your kids is not you, but your ex’s new partner.
These experiences, combined with the cultural expectation to have a Hallmark holiday, can send divorced parents into emotional overload. So how do you keep your charged feelings from spilling over onto your kids? Especially at handover time, which can seem like traversing an emotional minefield? Here are some tips for managing holiday drop-offs with true co-parenting finesse. Read more
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