After the U.S. Supreme Court passed their ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, many homosexual couples got married. This also means that same-sex couples can get divorced. This month, courts in West Michigan are trying a child custody case involving same-sex parents. Read more
Michigan’s Grand Traverse County Band has been facing a scandal involving a former Tribal Council member. Derek Bailey used to belong to the Grand Traverse County Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, but this fall he was accused of sexually abusing two underage girls. This led his wife to file for divorce and attempt to move to Alaska with their children. However, Bailey has made some accusations of his own. Read more
As parenting becomes hands-off and kids grow older, a child’s problems become more complicated. A study recently released by the University of Michigan investigated how adult children affect their parents. The results of this study showed that problems like divorce can lead to the children of a separating couple to have stress-related health effects. Although this study is from the University of Michigan, its impact can be felt in West Michigan and across the country. Read more
As Halloween approaches, parents are finalizing their children’s’ costumes and teaching them the dangers of unwrapped candy. For children with divorced parents there can be something else going on. Halloween is not merely the spookiest holiday on the calendar; it can also be a key holiday for parents who share custody of their children. Read more
There’s not a new sheriff in town, but the current sheriff of Muskegon, Michigan is doing something new to prevent teens from drinking. The Party Patrol is a new initiative created to help lower teen drinking rates, but divorce counseling might be a more effective approach. Read more
The key to understanding the lives of the Tsimhoni’s is to throw out everything you know about custody battles. These Bloomfield Hills children have been in the middle of a highly publicized feud between their parents that hit international news circuits this summer. However, it seems that their tribulations have finally come to a close. Read more
Trisha Short of Elk Rapids, Mich., knows the difficulties of being a child of divorce. Short has been working at helping children and their parents mend gaps in communication for over twenty years. Whether the parents are having issues explaining their divorce or their child is simply shutting them out, Short is one of West Michigan’s experts in the field.
1. Go to Counseling
Keeping your communication open, mediated, and peaceful is key to making co-parenting arrangements function. If you and your ex-spouse can afford to seek out therapy, it can only aid you in having a successful and smooth transition into your new parenting style. Working with a therapist keeps the two of you in a neutral space where you can discuss the hard parts or struggles of parenting separately. It will help you come up with effective and consistent parenting tactics so the two of you can determine what strategies will work best for your kids. Read more
Divorcing parents worry about their children’s adjustment to new living arrangements and the potential long-term effects of divorce on their well-being. Luckily, research suggests that after the initial shock of divorce, children suffer fewer negative effects if their parents are tuned into their needs. Read more
A study completed earlier in 2015 found that children of divorced families who live in two separate homes fare better than kids who only live with one parent. Read more
