Harvard University recently highlighted research showing how the child welfare system can benefit from utilizing findings in the neuroscience and child development fields. Focusing on the causes and effects of toxic stress, this research shows how children could greatly benefit from streamlined s…
Every person, every family, and every divorce is unique. Gone are the days where everyone is stuck in the “every Wednesday and every other weekend” rut. While this arrangement may work for some, in the modern age attorneys and families can work together to craft unique parenting arrangements that…
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) recently modified its visitation policy in a major way. There is now a presumption that visits between parents and children be unsupervised and in the least restrictive setting unless the presence of threats and danger to the child requires the …
A prenuptial agreement is a contract entered into by a couple before marriage. The prenup spells out the property rights of one or both of the parties involved. One of the most common situations calling for a prenup in Washington is the second marriage involving children. Why?
Pre-marital agre…
President Obama has decided to move forward a proposition to limit child support obligations for prisoners during the time they are incarcerated. Those who support this action argue that current child support obligations strap prisoners with insurmountable debt that inhibits their ability to ree…
Divorce is never easy but it is especially complicated when you share responsibility for living creatures with your spouse. There are legal guidelines in place to navigate child custody but what about pet custody? Ever increasingly couples share pets instead of children. This presents a difficult…
The number of siblings I claim to have varies on any given day depending on what best fits my story. Sometimes it’s three and sometimes it’s five but I consider both to essentially be true. Until moving to Seattle at the beginning of high school, three was the only option. When my mom remarried I…
Many young couples are facing serious difficulties when it comes to entering the housing market. With student debts high and the cost of housing skyrocketing it may come as no surprise that more and more couples are getting assistance from mom and dad to make their first home purchase.
While par…
We live in an amazing time, when couples of all shapes and sorts can come together to form a family. These bonds can be beautiful, diverse and complex. Take for example the issue of frozen embryos, a technology which has opened the gates to parenthood but also resulted in thorny ethical and legal…
In our home both Mom and Dad have to work full-time to pay the bills, and this is likely a matter of fact for most households with children. But what happens when Mom gets a call from the school that Susie has a fever and needs to be picked up? Mom has a full day of clients scheduled at work, so …