The Washington Post has a story today by Staff Writer, Ann Scott Tyson, about parents using military deployment to gain an advantage in custody fights.   Custody fights are hard enough.  Imagine having to fight one from Iraq or Afghanistan.

By federal law, military members can request up to a 90 day delay in child custody proceedings.  But deployments are for 15 to 18 months.

So several states have adopted laws in the past two years to remedy this.  For example, Virginia passed a law this year to bar any permanent change in custody while a service member is deployed.  The District of Columbia does not have such a law.  And a similar law was killed in committee in Maryland this year.

Congress is expected to hold hearings on the issue next year.

Percent of custody cases that go to trial (5 percent)

Ratio of divorce cases where mom ends up with primary physical custody (5 out of 6)

Ratio of divorces where parties agree to joint physical custody (5 percent)

Noncustodial dads who see their children at least once a week (31 percent)

Percent of sole physical custodians who are men (7 percent)

Source:  “Not Your Dad’s Divorce”, Newsweek

Eathan is a divorced father of two boys who is thinking outside of the box when it comes to alternating holidays.  He says in his blog that he tried the every other year for holidays and it’s no fun.  There are travel arrangements, scheduling conflicts and plans that don’t work.  You have to coordinate the weeks events around the dreadful kid-swap.

So, Eathan says, he decided to let his boys stay with their mom for the holidays.  “They get to spend the day with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.  They get to eat Grandma’s stuffing and pies.  They can take their time and relax.  Problem solved.”

Then Eathan takes his sons on other holidays and special vacations.  He went to Disney World one year and took them on a father/son camping trip. “ Both of those trips are still talked about every year.  They are burned in their memory.  The one thing they can’t remember is Thanksgiving at Grandma’s last year.  It’s just a normal event, but the trips with dad are memorable.”

An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: “argument to the man”, “argument against the man”) consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim. The process of proving or disproving the claim is thereby subverted, and the argumentum ad hominem works to change the subject. – Wickipedia.com

Maybe it is the stress of the holidays, but I’ve received two ad hominems this week, one against me and one against a client of mine, from opposing counsel who ought to know better.

The first accuses me of asserting a right without any legal basis and the writer says “as I have come to see your conduct, it does not surprise me.”

The second says “Frankly, it is puzzling that [your client] would fight for custody in light of his apparent disinterest in taking parental responsibility.”

Now you have to be fairly thick-skinned to be a divorce lawyer, and litigation is pretty rough and tumble in the heat of battle, so I don’t lose a lot of sleep over things like this.  But there is a Code of Civility in both jurisdictions where I practice, that says lawyers should treat opposing counsel and opposing parties with respect and courtesy.

Both of these ad hominems are unnecessary attempts to say “Shame on you.”  If anything they are counterproductive because they only cause the recipient to dig in their heels and redouble their efforts to prove them wrong.  So think twice before you hit the send button, reread your letter, and make sure it contains only those matters which move the case forward.

And for those who celebrate Christmas, remember that Santa is watching.

Everybody is so stressed out running around for the holidays, we sometimes don’t think of the impact that holidays can have on our children.  They pick up on the stress from both mom and dad.

Interruptions in routines are stressful to children.  Children need routines, rituals and traditions. You can help them by following familiar routines as much as possible.

Think about how you would feel if you sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with one family, then had to be whisked away for Thanksgiving dinner with another family.

Children also frequently feel like the separation of their parents is their fault.  It is important during the holidays to take time to talk to them about their feelings and reassure them.

For more ideas on how to help children during the holidays, read this thoughtful article by Linda Ranson Jacobs.

Fathers will ask me from time to time how they can monitor their child support payments to make sure the money will be used for the children’s expenses and not the mother’s expenses.  Some of the money would have to be allocated to common expenses like rent, utilities, food and transportation.  Others would be direct expenses like clothing.  It seems to me that this would be an accounting nightmare so I recommend against it.

Some fathers want me to raise the issue with the court.  I tell them about the equitable doctrine of “De minimis non curat lex” (”The law does not bother with trifles”).  Judges are barely keeping up with the cases they have, and simply don’t have the time or inclination to monitor monthly expenditures in a child support case.

The court will take action if a child is being neglected, typically by changing custody.  But short of that, mothers do not have to report how child support is spent.  For a mother’s perspective on this, see this article by Christina Rowe.

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of a police detective. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

If you’ve seen someone go through a bitter divorce and the even uglier child custody battle, you’ll know that the courts are not generally favorable towards the father, especially when it comes to securing custody of the child. Some fathers are happy to wash their hands of the responsibility of child rearing, but others are left devastated when their spouse gets sole custody and they’re asked to pay child support and alimony too in some cases.

Most judges are predisposed to awarding custody to the mother, simply because she is the one who’s had more time with the child, especially if he or she is pretty young. When you’re on the verge of a divorce, it’s hard to be rational and think before you act. But when it comes to your children and the fact that a court is going to tell you how you’re going to be allowed to relate to them for the rest of your life, you must put your emotions aside and use your head alone to save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

The first thing to do is to make your divorce amicable; I know it’s the hardest thing to do, part on good terms with someone you don’t want to live the rest of your life with. But if you share children, it’s the mature thing to do. This has a host of advantages, especially to you as the father. You don’t say things you may regret later, things that if overheard by your youngster, could end up harming your reputation in his or her eyes. Remember, your child is likely to be influenced by your spouse, so it’s best to remain on cordial terms with her.

A friendly divorce also allows you both to save a ton of money – you can bypass the lawyers altogether, seek joint custody of your children and reach a mutually satisfactory amount for child support and alimony. Better still, you remain on good terms so that your children feel secure even though you’re divorced.

I know I’m painting a pretty rosy picture where your spouse agrees to an amicable divorce and joint custody, but it’s worth a try, for yourself and your children. Rather than assume that your spouse would never go along with your suggestions, and that she is out to hurt you, be gracious enough to give in once in a while. After all, you were in love with the woman once, and by being the bigger person, you save yourself an acrimonious divorce proceeding and a lot of money in the process. Your spouse may also feel the need to relent once she sees how reasonable you’re being, so go ahead, give it a try. You’ve nothing to lose (other than what you will even if you don’t try) if it doesn’t work out, and everything to gain if it does.

Question:

My wife says she is leaving and taking the kids.  I don’t want her to.  What do I do?

Answer:

First, tell her that she can go, but the kids stay.  You have joint legal custody and joint physical custody until and unless the court says otherwise.  You have the right to pick them up from school or any other place she takes them.

Second, call your lawyer.  He or she will try to reach a written agreement with your wife’s attorney about the children, even if it is a temporary one.  The agreement will cover who lives where, how much time each party spends with the children and how the bills will get paid.

Third, if you can’t reach an agreement, then you can petition the court for a custody and access order.  This will usually involve legal fees, pleadings and a hearing.

1.  You Might Lose. Half of the people that go to court lose.  In every case, there is a winner and a loser.  And even if you win, you may lose, because of attorney fees and other costs, like the lasting acrimony and damage that a trial can cause.

2.  Trials Are Expensive. Trials involve enormous expense, time and uncertainty.  You have to take time off from work.  Lawyers and expert witnesses may cost thousands of dollars.  You are spending your kid’s college money.

3.  Lawyer Time is Not the Same as Real People Time. The system is slow.  It takes a long time to get to trial and the judges do not always rule at the end of the case.  They may take a case under advisement at the end of the trial, which means they want to think about it.  Then you may not get the result for weeks or months.  And then there are the appeals.

4.  Judges Are Not Trained for This. Psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers are trained in human behavior.  Many mental health professionals have expertise in custody evaluations.  Judges on the other hand are lawyers.

5.  Decisions Are Being Made by a Stranger. Judges are strangers to your life and marriage and they are called upon to make a decision after hearing only a few hours or a few days of testimony about a marriage that may have lasted for years.

6.  There Is No Lie Detector at the Bench. There is no truth detector at the judge’s bench.  The courthouse is not a fairness store.  It is a decision store.  One party wins and one party loses.  Judges are only human, they are not perfect, and the winning party is not always the deserving party.

7.  Judges Are Limited in What They Can Do. They are also limited by the legislature in how they must rule.  Private agreements between the parties are not.  You can be much more creative than the judge can.

8.  Judges Are Not Perfect. Judges are only human and they make mistakes.  We pay them to make decisions, and resolve disputes, not to be all knowing.  Sometimes they make the wrong decisions.  Do not think because you are right, that you will win.

9.  Even When You Win, You Lose. Custody trials can be very destructive to relationships.  Children are put in the middle. After the trial, you still have years to raise children with the mother.  You may have won the battle but lost the war.

Worry, stress and anxiety are common human emotions.  People will find something to worry about even when times are good.

When going through a divorce or other legal proceeding concerning conflicts about children, you will find many things to worry about, and you will have good reason to worry.  But instead of  worrying about your problems, try worrying at your problems.  Instead of letting your mind be consumed with worrying about how bad the situation is, you should concern yourself with what you can do to solve the problems.

Outline your problems in writing.  It helps you to focus clearly.  Then destroy these notes so they are not used against you by the other side.