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The Basics of Establishing Paternity in Missouri

Statistics show that about forty percent of children in America are born out-of-wedlock. These children still have a right to have their father involved in their lives. Unmarried fathers, however, are often unsure what steps they need to take to establish custody and visitation rights to their children. Unmarried fathers in Missouri need to file a paternity action to ensure their custody rights are protected. Merely being listed on a child’s birth certificate does not grant a father enforceable custody rights. Why should Missouri fathers establish paternity? It is valuable for fathers to establish paternity for several reasons. First and

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Making Child Visitation Easier for Your Kids

Divorce is rarely easy for anyone, but matters are further complicated when children are involved. Even in the most amicable of divorces, children suddenly find themselves adjusting to new homes, new neighborhoods, new visitation arrangements , and sometimes even new schools.While moving on with life after divorce or separation can be difficult for anyone, there are ways to ease the adjustment for the children. Instead of using child visitation as a chance to get back at your ex-spouse – by making it difficult for him or her to actually see the kids – look at it as an opportunity to

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Custody Evaluations & Methodology

A custody evaluation is conducted by a qualified mental health professional with the right training and experience. There are two most common types of custody evaluators. Those are psychologists and psychiatrists. Psychologists are more commonly used. Much the same as the importance of knowing your expert when hiring for a business evaluation the same is absolutely true of hiring a custody evaluator. So first off, know the curriculum vitae of the evaluator/expert witness. For instance, some M.D’s in psychiatry who spent four years of medical school and five years of residency may have had no experience with children whatsoever. Meanwhile,

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Child Custody & Visitation Flexibility

In divorce, determining child custody is one of the most important battles you will ever face. It trumps financial decisions, because it is about spending time with your children–time that once gone, cannot be regained. And this consideration will have a profound effect on your children’s lives. Child custody is allocated in two delineations, physical and legal custody. While physical custody refers to where the child will reside, legal custody pertains to who will make decisions regarding health, education, religion, extracurricular activities and other major determinations on behalf of the child. Physical and legal custody will be awarded to one

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Missouri Child Custody Cases: Information You Should Know

Most parents treasure their children and want the absolute best for them in the future. When parents are in the process of divorcing, the issue of child custody may be one of particular concern and anxiety. Sensitive child custody issues also arise in situations where the parents have never been married and are working to establish custody and visitation. The Legal Standards When deciding child custody matters, Missouri law focuses on the best interests of the child. A number of factors play into this determination including: The wishes of the child’s parents as to child custody The importance of the

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When Can a Missouri Parent Seek to Modify a Child Custody Order?

As children age and their school, extracurricular and other interests demand more of their time, child support orders may become out of date. In other cases, one parent may struggle to provide proper care of the children because of addiction or mental health issues. Sometimes it is possible for parents to seek modifications of their child custody orders to reflect the changed circumstances and the best interests of the child. While it is possible to come to an informal agreement with a former spouse, filing a motion to modify a custody order ensures that the best interests of the child

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The Very Real Risks of “Sharenting”

From the moment the camera was invented and someone captured a toothless grin of an adorable baby on film, parents have loved taking pictures of their children. Of course, the way we share photos of our kiddos has drastically changed over the years. Our parents had to take rolls of film in to be developed and then they might tuck a couple of the cuter pics into their wallet or purse to show co-workers at lunch. Nowadays, thanks to the launch of smartphones and social media, we can figuratively share our wallet of kid photos with literally hundreds of people

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In Co-Parenting: Matching Parenting Styles with Children’s Temperaments

Parents influence, teach and socialize their children. Often times, in divorce, differing parental styles can become a major conflict between co-parents. The trick is to work together for the benefit of your children. This can be challenging, but well worth the effort.The identification of parenting styles was the result of the work of Diana Baumrind and other researchers in child development. The researchers matched elements of parenting that resulted in children having the positive qualities of: independence, maturity, self-reliance, self-control, curiosity, friendliness and achievement orientation. The result identified two important ingredients: 1. responsiveness, or warmth and supportiveness; 2. behavioral control.

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Joint Custody Preferred by Most Judges

Some clients who come to Stange Law Firm, PC inquire about the possibility of receiving “full custody” of their children. We ask if they are referring to “sole” legal and physical custody, because under Missouri law, there are only two types of custody available-legal and physical. Legal custody has to do with who makes major decisions on behalf of the child. Physical custody deals with the location where the child resides. In both arrangements, either “joint” or “sole” custody can be awarded.Times have changed. Judges in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma no longer automatically award sole custody to the mother,

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Studies show joint parenting may be best for children

Studies show that children are often better developed if they have significant interactions with both parents after a divorce. When parents file for divorce in Kansas, it is crucial to put the best interests of the children in the forefront. Although separation and divorce may be extremely difficult for children of any age, studies show there are some ways that parents can make the transition easier on their kids. While many people believed that it is best for a child to reside in the sole custody of one parent in order to maintain a consistent atmosphere, researchers have found that

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New Shared Parenting Bill (HB1550) Signed in Missouri

HB1550 Shared Parenting Bill A new shared parenting was signed into law by Governor Nixon in Missouri. This new bill is a move toward making shared parenting the norm in Missouri. The hope of this bill was to make 50/50 custody, or shared parenting, more likely in the State of Missouri. There are many other components to HB1550 Bill. However, one of the main focuses being that parents who are being denied their custody time will be able to get a quick relief by highlighting the already existing Family Access Motion relief available in Missouri statutes – through the requirement

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Use of Virtual Visitation Increasing

When a marriage is ending, there are many issues for divorcing couples to consider. Child custody and visitation agreements are one of the most emotional of those issues to decide. It can also be one of the most contentious, especially if one parent is considering moving some distance away from the other.For children, the divorce process is difficult to understand and the effects can be long-lasting. According to a University of Pennsylvania study, children can experience feelings of vulnerability, powerlessness, anger and even a sense of grief for the parent who is no longer around.After the divorce, the non-custodial parent

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Prenuptial Agreements Line by Line

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Strategies For Family Law Illinois

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Strategies For Military Family Law

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