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Many individuals of the baby boomer generation may suddenly find themselves continuing in or resuming their role as caregivers. Only this time, instead of providing care to their children, they are caring for their elderly parents. Many are happy to do what they can for their parents while they can, fully realizing that older generations will not be around forever. Further, many adult children feel that they owe their parents a certain bet of gratitude for all they did for their families and the world around them.
Strengthening Marriage while Providing Care
Despite the privilege of having elderly parents, caring for them can bring its own set of challenges. Specifically, as discussed in a recent article, many baby boomers may experience challenges to their marriages as they struggle to care for their aging parents. This is due, in part, to the increased stress many people feel as they take on the responsibility of caregiver.Here are some tips to deal with the stressful situation of being an elderly parent’s primary caregiver while keeping your marriage strong at the same time:
According to the Family Studies website, previous data that suggested the divorce rate has been on a steady decline since the 1980s may be wrong. A new paper denounces those statistics and instead argues that the rate of divorce has not only gone up, but has risen to record highs. Read on for more about their position and the reasons behind it.
Why the Error?
Researchers are blaming poor data collecting as the reason behind the faulty previous numbers, which painted a more optimistic picture of divorce rates in the U.S. Even if individual counties accurately collected data related to divorce statistics, states then had to compile it and turn it over the the Census Bureau to put the data together on the national level. Something was lost in the process. In addition, it is believed that in the mid-1990s the federal government ceased offering financial support for significant state collection. Some states stopped reporting entirely, ultimately muddying the pool of information related to divorce rates.
There are many people who dream their entire lives of becoming parents. For those who are not able to have their own biological children, this dream might never become a reality if it was not for the option to adopt. Others may choose to adopt outright and provide a loving home to a child in need. Whatever the motivation, adoption is a noble cause that can prove to be a fulfilling life decision for all of those involved.
Questions About Adoption
Many who consider adoption likely have a variety of questions and concerns about the adoption process. While it is advisable to discuss specific situations with a licensed attorney, here are some common questions asked by many prospective adoptive parents, taken from the National Adoption Center website:
What types of children are available to adopt? In the U.S., there are about 101,000 children up for adoption. These children are all ages, but most are school age and older. Some have disabilities. They are children of all races and backgrounds, though minorities make up more than half.
Couples who decide to divorce face a difficult decision, particularly when children are involved. Many parents worry about their child’s well being throughout the divorce process, however, many cases suggest that parents themselves are the ones who have the most impact on their child’s ability to bounce back after the marriage has ended. While one may be hard pressed to find someone who would not do anything they could for their child, divorce proceedings may appear to be an exception to that rule. Some parents may let their contempt for the other parent cloud their judgement and use children as a weapon, whether it is intentional or not.
Causing Damage
A recent article suggests that children of divorce can suffer far-reaching and life-changing damage when not treated properly. Children are often victims of divorce, and they are sometimes used by parents as weapons to hurt one another in the breakdown of the marriage. This tactic not only deviates from doing what is in a child’s best interest, but truly hurts the child’s well-being in a very real way. Parents often think that divorce is an adult process, but children’s lives are just as impacted, if not more.
According to a recently published article, many divorcing couples, including those of the celebrity variety, are shifting the focus of their custody battles from child custody to pet custody.
More Common Occurrence
While people generally may expect some type of custody battle to ensue between a divorcing couple regarding their children, they are probably less likely to anticipate the same type of disputes over family pets. However, in the legal world, disputes over the custody of pets are becoming more common in connection with divorce proceedings. Perhaps this is not so surprising when one considers that people in America are spending more money than ever before on their pets, many couples who would otherwise be having children are delaying parenthood, and more and more people are forming a bond with their pets that causes them to treat the pets more like members of the family. The law is just now trying to catch up to this cultural status change for families’ furry friends.
Many parents who decide to divorce are primarily concerned with how the breakdown of the family will affect their children. The time after a divorce is finalized will certainly be a period of adjustment, but adjusting is not always as traumatic for children as some divorced parents may fear. In fact, some kids adjust surprisingly well to their parents’ divorce, particularly those whose parents provide them with love and attention and focus on their well being throughout the divorce while keeping them shielded from conflict and anxiety.
Look for Signs
A recent article suggests the following signs show that children are coping well with their parents’ divorce:
They are acting like their usual selves. Kids who interact with their parents and go through their days as usual are exhibiting good signs that they are handling divorce well. Any noticeable changes in looks or behavior should be addressed early.
It is no secret that the divorce rate in the U.S. is high; almost half of all marriages will eventually end in divorce. Many couples make the mutual decision to divorce, while others try to save their marriage no matter the cost. However, if at least one person in the couple is thinking about divorce, it may indicate something is wrong with the relationship.
Six Signals Indicating Imminent Divorce
According to a recently published article, there are signals that are usually present to indicate a divorce may be imminent. Although there are likely many more, here are six of the the most common signs that a divorce may be in a couple’s future:
For many, it may be hard to believe that any parent would not do all they can for the well-being of their child. However, the fact remains that in many child support cases, particularly contentious matters that involved a bitter divorce or a relationship gone sour, a parent who owes child support may pull whatever strings possible to get out of the obligation.
This may be because of the payor parent’s feelings of ill will toward the custodial parent, but no matter the reason, the one who is hurt most in cases like this is the child or children involved. Luckily, with the help of an experienced attorney in child support matters, these situations can be avoided when possible and addressed when they occur.
Income Withholding
Often in child support proceedings, a judge may issue a formal child support order and also include an income withholding order, which orders the paying parent to turn over a portion of their income in order to meet their child support obligations. A parent may also submit an income withholding for support form through the Office of Child Support Enforcement. Usually, the paying parent is also the non-custodial parent. This order acts to notify the paying parent’s employer to deduct the amount of the child support payment from their income each pay period and to forward the payment to the appropriate state agency, who will then transfer the funds to the custodial parent to use for the child.
A recently published article discussed the problem that some parents face in child custody disputes and the changes that some are calling for in order to level the playing field. Many parents who are involved in divorce cases where children are involved face the possibility of a diminished parent-child relationship. The parent who is not the custodial parent often becomes just a visitor in the eyes of the family. Because of this perceived inequity, many parents who lose out on significant time with their children are trying to make changes to the legal process.
Shared Parenting
Advocates of equal parenting time are trying to get legislation passed that would divide custodial time more fairly between both parents. Their position is that children are better served when they spend equal time with both of their parents. These parents are against laws that would award custody to one parent over another, except in cases where one of the parents is deemed by the court to be unfit. Their proposed legislation would include a clause that mandates both parents get a minimum percentage of parenting time with their children each week.
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