May, 2013 | Pennsylvania Family Law Blog - The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz Archive

Tips to Make Co-Parenting Easier

By Sheryl Rentz on May 24, 2013

Negotiating custody arrangements during a divorce can be a major point of contention between spouses, particularly because child custody has often meant that one parent is given the majority of responsibility for the children while the other is given limited involvement as a non-custodial parent. In recent years, more and more parents are choosing to share custody in an effort to ensure that both parents get to raise the children.

However, as children divide the days and weeks between each parent, moving back and forth between households, joint custody has its share of disadvantages. Many divorced parents may find that when they create an equal custody arrangement, they run the risk of becoming part-time parents, equally struggling to play full-time roles in their children’s lives. Read the rest »

Ways to Help Teens Cope with Divorce

By Sheryl Rentz on May 16, 2013

Divorce can be an incredibly difficult time for each family member involved. Parents may be faced with not only the loss of a very important relationship, but also the struggle to help the children cope with a sudden upheaval in the family dynamics. When the divorce comes about during a child’s teenage years, the breakup may be particularly overwhelming. Adolescence already involves plenty of developmental changes, and a divorce may add to the confusion and frustration that many teens experience.

The following tips may help you and your teen cope with the transition:

Listen – Allow plenty of time to talk one-on-one with your teen and listen to his or her feelings. Remain calm and understanding, and explain that the divorce is not his or her fault. Read the rest »

The Debate on Lifetime Spousal Support Continues

By Sheryl Rentz on May 13, 2013

A bill that recently made its way through Florida’s legislature, only to be vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott at the final hour, highlights the growing debate about permanent alimony reform in the United States. Proponents of Florida’s reform bill argue that alimony is an outdated agreement that unfairly ties the payer to a lifetime of debt for what may have been a short-lived marriage. Opponents, however, believe that the bill would have retroactively canceled existing financial agreements that many divorced spouses rely on.

If the bill had passed, Florida would have become the fifth state in the U.S. to abolish lifetime alimony awards.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Florida’s reform bill proposed that alimony payments would be based on the payer’s monthly gross income, and payments would not last more than half the duration of the marriage. Therefore, shorter marriages would garner fewer payments than marriages that last 20 years or more. Read the rest »