Here are a few upcoming kid-friendly events happening in San Diego in the coming month. As always, if you know of an event you think the families we work with should know about, please let us know so we can pass it along. Continue Reading
Balance.
It’s a word that gets used a lot these days, especially where family and work are concerned. That precious “Work/Life” balance seems increasingly elusive in a culture where bills must be paid, dinner must be made, soccer games must be attended, social events must be run, and both parents (or single parents) must work 9-5 or more in order to make ends meet.
Often enough, in the midst of life’s increasing chaos, things like personal health and alone time go by the wayside in order to handle all the external pressure. While that sort of self-sacrificing approach can be noble on the surface, it can actually be damaging to a family as a whole in the long run. Parents can suffer physical, mental, and emotional breakdowns if they devote all their resources to others without finding some way to balance their own needs in the mix.
So how does it happen? What can you do to carve out some healthy margin for yourself and your family and resist being pulled in all directions at once?
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It is hard to ignore the fact that less people are getting married these days. In fact, only 51% of all adults choose marriage, reflecting a record low. Consequently, couples are living together in lieu of marriage. In the United States, it is reported that around 15.3 million heterosexual couples cohabitate.
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Each month, in an effort to provide San Diego families with child-friendly resources, we’ll be posting information about San Diego events we’ve found that we think parents may enjoy with their kids.
Here are some great events we found this month.
Seussical the Musical
Classic Dr. Seuss stories come to life in a mix of musical styles, with all your favorite characters.
Times:
Friday, Mar 1st – 7:00pm
Saturday, Mar 2nd – 7:00pm
Sunday, Mar 3rd – 3:00pm
Friday, Mar 8th – 7:00pm
Saturday, Mar 9th – 2:00pm , 7:00pm
Sunday, Mar 10th – 3:00pm Continue Reading
Both parents are responsible for the financial support of all of their children until the children reach the age of 18. If the child or children are still in school at the age of 19, and still live at home and are unable to provide their own support, it is up to the parents to provide that support.
The state of California mandates the amount of child support that is paid from one parent to the other. The amount is figured by the computer generating of the payer’s financial status. The parent’s income, the amount of taxes that they pay, the amount of time that the parent has with the child, mandatory items that are deductible such as health insurance and retirement and the custodial parent’s ability to earn and their income are the main factors that determine the amount of child support to be paid. Child support can be altered should financial changes occur with the parent paying the support, or if the time share between the two parents should change at any time.
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Develop a Plan
To make everything as easy as possible and save on attorney costs, you will need to develop a plan. Take some time to think about what you want to accomplish during your child support case. Come up with some goals and objectives. Do you have a goal of gaining custody? Or, are you willing to negotiate mutually beneficial visits for both you and your ex-spouse? Are you comfortable with your ex-spouse gaining total custody? Deciding these factors and putting them in writing can make your attorney meeting more efficient. Also consider items such as what you want your child support to cover. How much can you reasonably afford? Get an idea by using an online calculator.
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For couples with children who divorce, their relationship does not end when the divorce is final. Somehow, parents who have divorced still need to find a way to have a successful co-parenting relationship. While forming a co-parenting relationship is relatively easy for couples who have had an amicable divorce, this relationship can be more difficult for those who have had gone through a high-conflict divorce. Parents who have a strained relationship have started to opt for technological solutions to communicate with their ex-spouse about their children and coordinate schedules. Additionally, technology can help parents keep in touch when either they or their children have moved to another town or across the country.
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Funny, isn’t it, how just a few choice words can entirely change a family dynamic…either for good or for ill? Whether you’re trying to enjoy a meal together at the dinner table, on an outing, dealing with a split family situation, or otherwise, both what you say and how you say it can have an enormous impact on the results.
And the entire time you’re talking?
Your kids are listening. They’re learning the same communication patterns and habits you’re expressing, internalizing them, and will start responding in kind.
When you keep that fact in mind, the importance of establishing positive communication within your family becomes critical—and you recognize that, as a parent, you hold a primary responsibility in achieving this.
So, how do you lay the foundation for a future of strong and nurturing communication? Continue Reading
It’s a sad affair to see the near-constant news about the violence and loss that impacts families these days—both from within and without. It seems we can’t refresh a news website or turn on the television without updates on the latest school or public shooting, hearing about child kidnappings, or other tragedies. It all hits far too close to home.
It’s enough to make any worried parent want to padlock the doors and bunker down with the kids until something drastically changes in the world.
But the reality is, the world isn’t going to shape up just for our sakes. It’s up to you, the parent, to help your child stay safe without locking them away from reality.
Here a 5 ways you can help your children remain as safe as possible, despite these troubled times: Continue Reading
“New Year’s Resolutions…with my kids? Did I hear you right?”
Yes.
“But New Year’s Resolutions are grown-up things. Times when we look back on things we regret and change our behavior so we can, hopefully, feel better about ourselves in the next year. I don’t want to get my kids thinking negatively or hurting their self-esteem.”
Exactly. Too many adults approach resolutions as a painful chore. Something they do because they regret things from the previous year—weight gain, poor spending habits, bad relationships, etc.—and want to try and have a different experience in the next year.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. In fact, when you make resolutions a family affair, something shared between parent and child, it can become an incredibly positive and relationship-building tradition! Continue Reading
