Posted on June 30, 2014 in Divorce

The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) estimates that there are more than 300 million obese people in the world. The organization defines obesity as 'a BMI - 30 kg/m2, but can be further divided on the bases of the severity of the obesity. In the past 30 years the percentage of American children between the ages of 5 to 14 years old who are overweight has doubled, rising from 15 percent to 32 percent.

A'new study has found that there may be a link between'divorcing parents'and obesity in children. The study was done at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Oslo.

Researchers studied the health data from 3166 third grade students from 127 schools in Norway. The gender breakdown of the students was 1537 girls and 1629 boys.

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 Posted on June 17, 2014 in Child Custody

One of the most complicated steps of divorce is figuring out what to do if you share children. Most parents opt for a shared parenting plan, providing both are healthy, capable, and free of legal trouble. One step many parents opt to take during divorce to help determine what to do with the kids is to schedule child custody mediation. In Illinois, child custody hearings are governed by the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, among others. According to a publication of the State of Illinois, trial courts 'have a special responsibility in cases involving the care and custody of children. This responsibility is carried out in court determinations that seek a resolution in the best interest of the child.

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 Posted on May 31, 2014 in Prenuptial Agreements

When most people hear the word prenuptial agreement, they typically think of it as an agreement about assets and how those assets will be divided if the marriage breaks up. The topics covered in a prenuptial agreement are usually pretty standard.

Any real estate the couple owned independently before marriage is usually decided in a prenup. It's especially important if the property is to be the marital home.

Ownership of a business is another issue that is usually covered. Otherwise, if one spouse owned a business before the marriage, a divorce would give the other spouse an opportunity to claim a percentage as part of the settlement.

Bank accounts, retirement accounts, personal property, such as antiques or other big-ticket items should also be included in a prenup. Prenuptial agreements can also spell out whether or not alimony will be paid in the event the marriage does not work out.

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 Posted on May 15, 2014 in Divorce

Divorce is not an easy process. Even if you have only been married a short time, dissolving a union can be as difficult financially and socially as it is emotionally. Having a knowledgeable divorce attorney in your corner can help to ease the difficult process'and it is imperative that you begin working with the attorney as soon as you begin to consider getting divorced or as soon as you hear your spouse is. There are also several other things you can do, according to The Huffington Post, to make the divorce easier.

The first, according to The Huffington Post, is to realize that your marriage is a 'sunk cost. In economic terms, a sunk cost is a failed investment that cannot, under any circumstances, be salvaged. Human nature is apt to want to fix or solve things, rather than let them go, which is why, The Huffington Post notes, we may spend thousands of dollars attempting to fix a lemon of a car rather than giving up and trading it in. Recognizing that your marriage is over can help you save you time and money, and help you to emotionally move on.

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 Posted on April 30, 2014 in Child Support

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it will cost $241,080 to raise and provide for a child until he or she is 18 years old. However, this does not include college tuition - which could almost double the amount.

The most expensive items in'raising a child include housing, as well as child care and food expenses. In fact, child care and education expenses account for nearly twenty percent of child raising costs.'The USDA also notes that more and more families have both parents working - something that used to be a luxury but is now a necessity.

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 Posted on April 15, 2014 in Divorce

According to The New York Times, men and women who are married have sex an average of 58 times a year, just over more than once a week. These statistics, of course, are varied''married people under 30 have sex about 111 times a year.

And it's estimated that about 15 percent of married couples have not had sex with their spouse in the last six months to one year,' reports the Times. Despite these numbers, a common phenomenon in marriage is the waning of sexual interest in one's partner. This can often lead to a sexless marriage'which in turn can lead to divorce.

A sexless marriage is not one in which the couple is merely not being consistently intimate, but rather one in which repeated sexual advances are ignored and the couple experiences a long period without any intimate activity at all.

'It is called either alienation of affection or constructive abandonment,' reports The ExperienceProject.com. If a spouse is withholding sex, or using it as a weapon, this is immediate grounds for divorce. Marriage, as set forth in legal precedent, implies that there will be sex'to withhold this is considered a divorceable offense.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Family Law

Sometimes people in abusive relationships think that the relationship will get better or they don't think they can leave. Whatever the reason may be, there are many people suffering from domestic abuse and they need to know how to keep themselves safe in the relationship and even if they choose to leave.

DomesticViolence.org offers tips to domestic abuse victims to stay safe.

If you are in a relationship with abuse, but you do not want to or you feel you cannot leave:

• Have important phone numbers available for you and your children such as an abuse hotline, a shelter, the police, and friends;
• Tell nearby friends about the abuse so they can call the police if they hear anything suspicious in your home. A code word can also be used to notify them;

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 Posted on March 12, 2014 in Family Law

Having and raising a child is no easy task, especially if you are a single parent, and it can be even more challenging when you are unsure of who the child's father is. A simple solution to this problem is paternity tests, of which there are many different options to choose from.

Depending on the chosen test, the test can be administered at certain points during the pregnancy or after the child has been born. Paternity tests are used not only to reassure the mother of who the father of her child is, but also to reassure the father that he is the biological father of the child. The people involved, though, may also need reassurance about the test itself, as well as what it proves. Common questions about paternity testing 'have been answered by the American Pregnancy Association below: How much will establishing paternity cost, including the test and any additional expenses?

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 Posted on February 28, 2014 in Divorce

The stigma surrounding divorce has waned as divorce as become more common. By some estimates, 50 percent of all American marriages end in divorce. The collapse of a marriage is even more likely, according to The Nation, in ultra-conservative states and states with higher conservative Christian populations. Two researchers from the University of Iowa told The Nation that this was in part because conservative religious beliefs and the social norms surrounding them 'decrease marital stability through the promotion of practices that increase divorce risk. An example of this could be the secondary status of women.

Bearing in mind that religion'which at one time may have encouraged couples to stay together even in a less-than-perfect relationship'may now increase the chance of divorce, it may come as no surprise that the stigma surrounding divorce is no longer a major factor. In fact, divorce parties, according to a recent Fox News article, 'are all the rage. In Las Vegas, divorce parties have hit new heights of popularity. Glynda Rhodes is a high-end divorce party-planner in Vegas. She told Fox that, 'if they want to burn their dress, or if they want to go to the spa'everybody has a different way they want to release.'

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 Posted on February 12, 2014 in Family Law

If you or a loved one are in an abusive relationship and do not know where to turn or how to get out, remember that you are not alone. The best way to find safety is to leave the abuser, but sometimes this is not easy to do, especially if the abused person is financially dependent on their abuser.

If you're married, divorce can take time. Your abuser, whether he or she was your spouse or not can still find you. After getting away safely, you should seek an 0rder of protection, which legally restricts your abuser from being near you, locations you frequent such as your home or workplace, and from contacting you.

Other tips from DomesticViolence.org to find safety include the following:

• Get help from family and friends: They may be able to help get you out of a bad situation and get the legal or medical help that you need;

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