Child Custody Blog

Children’s Tylenol and Other Drugs Recalled – NYTimes.com.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267136/Father-banned-driving-getting-wheel-toy-Barbie-car-drunk.html

As a means of transportation it left something to be desired in terms of comfort and street cred. And when police asked the driver to pull over, the Barbie car, with its top speed of 4mph, was hopeless as a getaway vehicle.

Paul Hutton, 40, is regretting his impromptu roadtrip after he was arrested for drink-driving when he tried to take the battery- operated child’s toy to a friend’s house.
‘Complete twit’: Paul Hutton, pictured carrying the steering wheel and seat of the children’s toy he drove while drunk, has been banned from driving for three years

Yesterday he admitted he had been a ‘complete twit’ after he was banned from driving and given a 12-month conditional discharge by magistrates.

The 6ft-tall father of four said that an adult needed to ‘be quite a contortionist to get in’ the 4ft by 2ft white and pink jeep, which is designed for fans of the popular girls’ doll.
‘I’m not unhappy with my punishment, just surprised,’ he said. ‘It needn’t have gone to court. Possibly the police arrested me for something to tell the grandchildren.’

Mr Hutton, a divorcee from Jaywick, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, is a former RAF aeronautical engineer who studies electric engineering at the Colchester Institute.

Toy vehicle: Mr Hutton was caught drunk at the wheel of this electric Barbie car. He took the Barbie car home after finding it abandoned ten years ago and has been tinkering with it ever since. About eight months ago he started rebuilding it with his eldest son Simon, 17, who is doing a car mechanics course.

Modifications to the vehicle – which is aimed at three to five-year-olds and runs on a 12v battery – include adding larger wheels and changing its body colour from pink to white.
Mr Hutton had been drinking on March 28 when he decided to show the jeep off to a friend who lives just 500 yards away.
Police spotted him at 9pm with his knees tucked up under his chin ambling along Brooklands Road, which is named after the motor racing circuit.

He was arrested when he ignored warnings for him to stop and tried to make a very slow getaway. ‘The police car came up alongside me and the officer said, “Are you all right there?”‘ he said. ‘When I tried to talk I realised how drunk I was.
‘A lot of burble came out. There was a dispute at first between the officers as to what the legalities of it were. Then they decided I was to be done for drink-driving.
‘I was taken to Clacton police station and breathalysed. I was released at about 5.30am. I really didn’t realise I should be doing it. ‘I knew that it was daft but I didn’t realise it was a criminal thing to do.’

Mr Hutton admitted drink-driving on Friday after magistrates in Colchester heard he had 89mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, more than twice the 35mg limit. He was given a three-year ban because he had received another drink-drive ban within the previous ten years. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs.
Chairman of the bench Neil Munson said: ‘This is most unusual. I have never seen the like of it in 15 years on the bench.
‘The vehicle is not even capable of doing the speed of a mobility scooter and could be outrun by a pedestrian.’

Mothers Scrimp as States Take Child Support – New York Times.

National Briefing – West – Alaska – Bristol Palin Wins Support – NYTimes.com.

Child support ordered for Bristol Palin. Parenting time to be negotiated? Read the rest of this entry »

In child custody cases including folks who have been divorced for years, too often one parent belittles, criticizes, shuts out or verbally destroys the other parent in the eyes of their children. This is done for a myriad of reasons: to punish an ex-spouse that YOU hate, to gain sympathy and support from your child (not their role by the way), to try and get more child support (not worth ruining your kids) or because the alienating parent thinks the children “belong” to them i.e. “my son” or “my daughter”. As a divorce lawyer with 19 years experience, I have seen far more than my share of parental alienation. Trust me; it’s the children who pay the price in the long run. Try and remember that your child is NOT your therapist or your BFF and that when you are reaming your “Ex” you are talking about the other half of your child. You are destroying their impression of their “Father” or “Mother”. I have seen adorable graham cracker fisted 4 year olds turn into the angriest 14 years olds and even angrier (and guilt ridden) 24 years olds after years of living with the spin doctor alienator. Please don’t do this to your children. If you have to divorce, purpose to divorce with dignity.

Written By April D. Jones © 2010, All Rights Reserved

Divorces are sad and hard on everybody in the family. This is especially true in historically “traditional” households where Mom primarily stays home with the kids and cares for the house and the dog, picks the curtains, sets the play dates, makes the dental appointments, makes the lunches, and volunteers at the school – while Dad works long hours to pay for the house, the dog, the curtains, the braces, the groceries, the play dates, the private school, etc.

In this family model, Dad relies on Mom to update him on the days’ happenings. She fills him in on the kids’ schedule and needs; she tells him everything from “how it went at the orthodontist” to the size of the new shoes she just bought for their toddler. Armed with his update, Dad comes home from work, tells the toddler how pretty her new sparkly shoes are and makes her squeal while he tickles her and tells her what a big girl she is. He then asks his middle-schooler how the orthodontist visit went and they both laugh when she smiles to show him her new lime and orange rubber band combo. Sound familiar?

This division of labor works amazingly well when the parenting team is intact; when each team member knows his role and plays his position. However, when the team splits up and a divorce and custody battle ensues…yikes! Now Mom claims she has done everything for the children and Dad has done nothing. She tells her attorney that Dad never takes the kids to the doctor for their check ups, doesn’t know their teachers and only ever cooks pancakes (and only on Pancake Sundays). Sure the kids adore him and think he’s an awesome Dad but Mom says that’s because of how she worked to keep him in the know. Without her (and he is, in fact, without her now), he knows nothing about the kids. How can he care for them? He works all the time…and so on and so on.

This situation is not insurmountable. In fact, with a little effort and purpose, you can change the situation easily and forever. What you can’t do when a custody battle
is brewing is “Nothing”. You must recognize that divorce changes the roles for everybody. Mom will most likely have to get a job and figure out how to balance working and single. Dad has to figure out how to balance working and single. Here are some steps that will help protect your parental rights

Get familiar with your children’s school. This can be done at anytime. Start tomorrow if you can:
• Know the name of your child’s teachers.
• Visit your child’s school.
• Meet with their teacher.
• Arrange to meet the teacher monthly if your child needs additional attention and you want to stay abreast of the child’s progress.
• Know how they are doing in school. Are they turning in homework? Are they doing well? How are they getting along with the other kids? Do they seem happy or sad or quiet now that things are changing at home?
• Let the teacher know that they can call you at anytime and that you are 100 percent interested in how your child is doing.
• Sign up to be a chaperone on a field trip – just one if it’s not really your thing or you don’t have time. It gives the teachers a chance to know you in a more child centered social setting and gives you an opportunity to shine as a parent to both the teachers and your child.
• Make sure the school has your address and contact information, if it has changed.
• Make sure you are on the emergency contact list.
• Make sure you are set up in their system to get report cards, notices, etc.

Medical Providers:
• Know the name and location of your child’s doctor, dentist, therapist, etc.
• Try to attend routine checkups, if you can. If Mom is still the primary scheduler, ask her to schedule the annual check-ups at a time when you can both attend.
• For appointments that occur during your parenting time, plan to take them to the visits yourself as often as you can.
• Purpose to introduce yourself to all of their providers, even if they do not have check-ups in the near future.
• Let their providers know they can contact you at any time and that you are 100 percent interested in how your child is doing.
• If your child has ongoing scheduled treatments, ask questions and get up-to-date on the treatment plan and follow your child’s progress.
• Make sure the medical provider has your address and contact information, if it has changed.
• Make sure you are on the emergency contact list.
• Make sure you are set up in their system to get appointment notices, etc.
• Some medical providers do not like to be involved in bitter custody battles so keep them out of the fighting. You just want to be an informed, involved Dad. You don’t need to bad-mouth Mom to do this. Just be your best you!

Agreed Upon Extracurricular Activities:
• Know what activities the children are signed up for.
• Meet the coaches and the ballet teachers and the tutors.
• Take your children to practices that occur during your parenting time.
• Attend their activities, games and performances, whether they occur during your parenting time or not. This is an awesome opportunity to see your kid outside of your regular parenting time and enjoy their football games or their recitals. To avoid the tension between you and Mom, introduce yourself to other lone Dad’s at the games and still cheer your child on. By doing this you communicate that your child STILL has his or her two biggest fans and that you are both still on their team!

For more articles on children and divorce by family law attorney April D. Jones, see our blogs at www.apriljoneslaw.com and www.childcustodycolorado.com.

Smothering parents may do more harm than good for children. While it may seem like helping your children to be with them all the time, they may be missing out on the important lessons of being OK when you’re not there and thinking independently. For the full story: www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2508740