On March 6, 2020, Governor Holcomb issued executive order 20-02 formally declaring a public health disaster in Indiana due to the novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak. Since at least that time, parents of divorce who have children or couples who had children out of wedlock began wondering how this impacted physical custody and parenting time. While some parents carried on as normal with their parenting time exchanges, others took the position that the children would remain with them and not be out being exchanged for the duration of ... Read More
01
Apr2020
24
Mar2020
Earlier today, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued several Executive Orders. Executive Order 20-08 - “Directive for Hoosiers to Stay at Home” – officially ordered Indiana residents to shelter in place and remain at home if at all possible, except for several provisions that exclude certain activities. Frankly, with our schools closing their physical locations, nearly all recreational businesses shuttered, and many parents working remotely, society has been placed in an unfamiliar and extremely unique situation. This blog ... Read More
22
Oct2019
Take action now! The holidays are just around the corner. A plan for holiday parenting time needs to be determined before it’s too late. Especially if travel plans are involved now is the time to work out a schedule that will avoid additional stress during the holidays. Even if the parties follow the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines for holidays, avoid any last-minute glitches by planning ahead for the division of holiday time. Of course, with any holiday parenting time ... Read More
23
May2019
The family dynamic is something that is always changing, and there is certainly no “standard” or “normal” family. After a divorce or a final determination in a paternity case, often one parent of a child has what is called primary physical custody, and the other parent (the “non-custodial parent”) has what is called parenting time. The terms of the non-custodial parent’s parenting time may take many different shapes, but in general, if ... Read More
15
Feb2019
Normally these cold, overcast days and dark weather leave us a bit glum. Nevertheless, for parents who have children who are not in a relationship with the other parent (by paternity and the relationship did not last or divorced parents), it’s time to think about the Spring Holidays, Holy days and the Summer and, well of course, parenting time. On the upside, on February 2, 2019, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, so it should all be a little brighter and happier soooooon . . . .an early ... Read More
31
Jan2019
Whoever said “there is a fine line between love and hate” was on to something. Frequently, two people who were madly in love, somewhere stumbled and are now getting a divorce. As you may have already figured out, those loving days are gone, and not only are they gone, but that love has been replaced, in most cases, with resentment towards the other person. So, what do you do when you are going through a divorce? What shouldn’t you do? How do I act? How should I treat the other person? These ... Read More
06
Nov2018
With the Holiday Cheer often comes parenting time and other child-related disputes surrounding the holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. To avoid some potential of dispute, we suggest you look at your most current custody order(s) and the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines. With this, you can engage the other parent in a discussion and try to reach an agreement about who has what time and drop-offs and pick-up times and places well in advance. Try to account for foreseeable problems, such as bad weather or those that are unique in your ... Read More
22
Oct2018
In the digital age, the era of endless activities for even the youngest children that didn’t exist in easier times, given about half of all marriages end in divorce, even parents who remain together have time carving out true quality (interactive) time with their children. This blog goes back to basics to provide three simple tips that almost seem forgotten for parents to have quality time with their children.
Maybe all parents have always been busy and have struggled to find a life balance where both parents worked. However, today adults and children ... Read More
30
Aug2018
Everyone knows of a custody “battle” waged by a family member or friend--where both parents are entrenched in their positions, are convinced they are right (and maybe are), and fight tooth and nail to have the time with their children they believe is in their best interests. Or, is this your case? Most commonly, this struggle is waged through successive litigation involving contempt actions and modification petitions; trial courts retain custody jurisdiction to hear and decide these matters until the children are adults, meaning the litigation can go on for years. As ... Read More
11
Jul2018
Perhaps everyone who reads this blog will agree that routine and “sameness” are considered aspects of our daily life. The old adage, “change is hard”, best captures this concept. The same is true for children of divorce and paternity cases. The initial determination of which parent should have custody is “gender neutral” and gives no parent a preference for preliminary custody in the trial court’s initial determination.
However, after the case is decided, where custody may change, the children usually establish ... Read More