Divorce Reality Check


Book Description

Your marriage is irretrievably broken, and life as you know it is unraveling fast. You feel overwhelmed and confused by the well-intentioned (but let's face it, often clueless) advice of your friends and family. Does your lawyer's strategy alarm you instead of calm you down? Does the light at the end of the tunnel seem farther and farther away? You are not alone. In fact, you sound like a lot of the men and women who walk into my law office every day. But don't despair. You have come to the right place to find some straight talk about the legal process and the steps you should take to regain your equilibrium and be smarter about your split. Like most people facing the demise of their marriage, you might feel like your world has turned completely upside down. Uncertainty and unease about the future, and your children's future, may cause you to lose sleep. You may fear being taken for every dime by your vengeful and hell-bent spouse. You may fear losing rights to your most precious assets: your children. You might be intimidated by your spouse, or his lawyer, and maybe even your own lawyer. Still, at a time when your family and financial life are falling apart, it is critical that you take control, and make sound decisions that will affect the rest of your future. But how? Let's break it down. After you get over the emotional hurdles -- a process that is unique to every individual and every relationship -- there are three main legal categories to address, namely: I. Custody; II. Support; and III. Asset Distribution. Each of these areas must be fully resolved in writing -- by settlement agreement or court order -- before you can move on with your life. Easier said than done to be sure, but take heart. In your hands, you have a GPS to navigate the rocky terrain in the months ahead. You will learn how and why the high road is the best road. The organizing tools, lists and 'reality checks' in these pages will help you obtain tangible results and a clearer path. I will coach you with strategies to help you deal with your ex, and provide you with talking points for your meetings with your lawyer. I know that you are at an important crossroads in your life. I encourage you to read this entire book, and be open minded about the possibility of a civilized and uncomplicated break up. Just as I do with my clients, I am rooting for you to move on with your life, and to avoid self-destructive and sabotaging behaviors. I urge you to avoid a victim mentality, especially because all that it will get you is an invite to an everlasting 'pity party'. (Author's Note: This book is not going to change your life. You have to do that on your own.) My first objective for you? To calm you and encourage you to think rationally, not emotionally, about your divorce. To begin and strengthen habits of successful financial planning and smooth co-parenting (even when your ex does not necessarily cooperate). Your new mantra starting today? Repeat The Three C's after me: Civility, Clarity, Common sense. If, on the other hand, you are feeling angry and vindictive, go find a "shark" lawyer to lead you into Armageddon (and empty your pockets), because this book is not for you. Are you willing to accept some tough love from an expert that has helped thousands of clients move forward with their lives? If so, keep reading!




How to Know If It's Time to Go


Book Description

A controversial look at whether a marriage can be saved—or if its “time to go.” For the millions caught in unhappy marriages, consumed by sadness, anger, and fear, the question haunts: “Should I divorce?” Now, in their insightful new book, a husband-and-wife team of marriage experts helps readers find the answer by taking them through ten steps to determine if their relationship has reached the breaking point. While Drs. Birnbach and Hyman do not advocate divorce, they point out that the most desirable situation—a happy long-term marriage—may simply not be possible in some cases. The book also discusses how the lives of people who stay in chronically unhappy marriages compare with those who split up. Filled with poignant case studies, cutting-edge research, and a 100-question self-assessment to determine if its “time to go,” this unique guide dispels the myths about divorce and enables readers to recognize if there is still hope . . . or if they (and their families) are better off apart.




Divorced from Reality


Book Description

Over the past thirty years, there has been a dramatic shift in the way the legal system approaches and resolves family disputes. Traditionally, family law dispute resolution was based on an “adversary” system: two parties and their advocates stood before a judge who determined which party was at fault in a divorce and who would be awarded the rights in a custody dispute. Now, many family courts are opting for a “problem-solving” model in which courts attempt to resolve both legal and non-legal issues. At the same time, American families have changed dramatically. Divorce rates have leveled off and begun to drop, while the number of children born and raised outside of marriage has increased sharply. Fathers are more likely to seek an active role in their children’s lives. While this enhanced paternal involvement benefits children, it also increases the likelihood of disputes between parents. As a result, the families who seek legal dispute resolution have become more diverse and their legal situations more complex. In Divorced from Reality, Jane C. Murphy and Jana B. Singer argue that the current "problem solving" model fails to address the realities of today's families. The authors suggest that while today’s dispute resolution regime may represent an improvement over its more adversary predecessor, it is built largely around the model of a divorcing nuclear family with lawyers representing all parties—a model that fits poorly with the realities of today's disputing families. To serve the families it is meant to help, the legal system must adapt and reshape itself.




Divorce Busting


Book Description

A step-by-step approach to making your marriage loving again.




Raising Real Men


Book Description

Families with boys often find the world reacts to them in mock horror. Even though parents love their sons, privately they admit that boys can be a handful to raise--they are boisterous, competitive, reckless, distractable. The challenge of wills between parent and son starts early, and the quest to civilize young bulls may seem hopeless some days. Yet believers know that God has given them children as a gift of heaven, specially chosen for their particular families and marked as a blessing. If that's so, why does it seem so hard? How can we prepare these boys to serve God when it's all we can do to make it through another day? Isn't there a better way? Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys shows the answer is emphatically yes. Written by the parents of six boys, Raising Real Men provides hope and encouragement to families with sons. Starting from the premise that God made boys to become men, Hal and Melanie Young offer Biblical principles and tested, practical ideas for training the manly virtues that can drive parents and teachers up the wall. This is a practical guide to equipping the hearts and minds of boys without breaking or losing your own. "...earthy, realistic, humorous, and scriptural ..." -- Douglas Wilson, author, Future Men "This is just what the doctor ordered for parents who want to raise capable Christian men of character." -- John Rosemond, author, Parenting By The Book




Reality Check


Book Description

You¿ve waited for this moment your entire life. Being able to come and go as you please, to eat what you want when you want, to listen to your music as loud as you¿d like, and the option of going to Wal-Mart at 3am just because you can. Your mind is filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation as you grow up and prepare to enter the real world of life. But then it hits you like a ton of bricks¿A Reality Check.The days of choosing between white milk and chocolate milk are replaced by decisions on paying bills, making career decisions, attending college classes, and preparing your taxes. Recess and nap time are distant memories that have now been exchanged for frustrations with your boss, relationship challenges, and the need for health insurance. Pretty exciting, huh? In this humorous and relevant book, Reality Check, author Grant Baldwin helps you navigate both the challenges and opportunities of the real world in a practical and applicable manner. He addresses the real and honest questions that students are asking on issues such as creating a budget, applying for scholarships, dealing with relationships, and finding a career that you¿re passionate about. This is your guide to the Real World.







Splitopia


Book Description

Packed with research, insights, and illuminating (and often funny) examples from Paris’s own divorce experience, this book is a “practical and reassuring guide to parting well.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project Engaging and revolutionary, filled with wit, searing honesty, and intimate interviews, Splitopia is a call for a saner, more civil kind of divorce. As Paris reveals, divorce has improved dramatically in recent decades due to changes in laws and family structures, advances in psychology and child development, and a new understanding of the importance of the father. Positive psychology expert and author of Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar, writes that Paris’s “personal insights, stories, and research” create “a smart and interesting guide that can be extremely helpful for those going through divorce.” Reading this book can be the difference between an expensive, ugly battle and a decent divorce, between children sucked under by conflict or happy, healthy kids. This is “a compelling case that it’s high time for a new definition of Happily Ever After—for everyone” (Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time).




Reality Check


Book Description

Do you find yourself doing things you swore you would never do as a parent? Welcome to my world. As parents it is our responsibility to make sure we provide safety, love, structure and learning to our children's lives. There is no silver bullet on how you do it. Sometimes when it comes to parenting, you don't do it by the book, you JUST DO IT! I am sure every parent has questioned themself on how they disciplined their child, how they answer the million dollar question, "Where do babies come from?" and how to just get into a routine that will make your life and your child's life easier. This book will share all of my experiences, ethical and non-ethical and allow you to decide for yourself the best way to address, your relationship with your child. This book although written from my experience as a single parent, can assist anyone who faces the toughest but most rewarding job as a parent. This book will make you laugh and learn.




Divorced Girl Smiling


Book Description

Smile! It's not just the end of your marriage, it's the beginning of your second chance!Missy Benson has a two and a half carat diamond engagement ring with color grade H, VS2 clarity and a value of $36,000. It's absolutely gorgeous, practically flawless, and let's be honest, really big!But what the successful Chicago realtor doesn't have anymore is a husband. After 12 years of marriage, her husband, Paul, a handsome, wealthy attorney has devastated her by breaking up their marriage for Priscilla Sommerfeld, a young, personal trainer, who according to Missy's sassy assistant, J.J., looks more like a Las Vegas stripper than a fitness expert.Not sure what to do with her ring, and with no financial issues to worry about, Missy decides to put it up for sale on Craigslist. The price: 99 cents! The catch: She gets to pick the buyer. In essence, she's looking for the perfect guy, but not for herself. Her hope is to regain faith that good men do exist, and that marriages can last forever.Now referring to herself as "the divorced girl," Missy interviews dozens of young men who are vying for the huge ring. It's a contest that includes outrageous characters, hilarious and sentimental stories, and two finalists, both of whom Missy adores and who she must choose between. Then there's Parker Missoni, the sexiest contestant by far, who drives her crazy with his brutal honesty, and at the same time stops her heart with his deep brown eyes.Divorced Girl Smiling is the story of a woman's journey to do whatever it takes to heal herself from divorce. It's about acceptance, reflection, taking accountability for mistakes, and appreciating all of life's wonderful gifts. In other words, if you have the guts to put the past behind, admit your mistakes, embrace your future, and give love another chance, you will surely be a divorced girl smiling.