Recent Blog Posts
Amendment to Illinois Adoption Act Broadens Adoptee Accessibility of Information
For over 50 years, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) has been providing assistance to those choosing to adopt. Remarkably, this organization has placed over 17,000 children over the past decade, and with the recent amendment to the Illinois Adoption Act (750 ILCS 50), many adoptees and their family members are gaining wider access to personal and medical information through the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange IARMIE.
Although many states are still considered "closed states" where all information regarding an adoption is sealed, Illinois has acted to broaden the rights of adoptees and immediate family members by making it easier to request and access information without petitioning the courts.
People Suffering from Mental Disorders Have Higher Divorce Rate
There are many reasons which cause people to make the decision to file for divorce. Sadly, one of those reasons is when the other spouse suffers from mental illness. Studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illness have a higher rate of divorce. One study that was conducted in 2011 actually put that divorce rate increase at between 20 to 80 percent.
The multi-national study was conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The researchers found 18 different mental disorders which not only had an effect on whether or not a person dealing with one or more of those disorders stayed married, but also affected whether or not they married in the first place.
The mental disorders which had the largest impact on divorce rates were alcohol abuse, major depression, and specific phobia, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).
Child Custody Modification In DuPage County
Life happens, and a child custody order which may have been perfectly workable for both parties can quickly become outdated, unfair, and harmful to the children. A job change, a new relationship, a midlife crisis and countless other items can significantly disrupt a divided family’s life.
As a rule of thumb, most family law orders need to be formally modified, or at least updated, every three or four years. Many parents are concerned about visitation and custody provisions which may no longer be in the children’s best interest. What does a party need to prove to modify custody in Illinois?
Time
Section 607(a-7)(1) states that a party must wait two years after the orders become final prior to asking for a modification, but there are some exceptions. Often, to reduce legal fees and avoid unnecessary emotional conflict, the parents may agree to change custody provisions. Courts typically honor these stipulations.
Learning the Language of Adoption: Advice from the AAP and the DCFS
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), both highly dedicated to the health and well-being of all children, would like to remind medical professionals, family and friends associated with a recent adoption that often unnecessary or thoughtless language can damage the already fragile self-esteem level of the child and even perhaps the adoptive parents.
In conjunction with the AAP, the DCFS offers the Let’s Talk! Respectful Adoption Language and Behavior booklet, both online and in hard-copy form to all medical professionals or interested adoptive families or friends interested in the Do’s and Don’ts of adoption language and behavior.
The following guidelines provide respectful options for broaching the subject of adoption. These guidelines may also prove helpful to those couples considering adoption as to what may be appropriate and what may be insensitive.
New Year's Resolution: Divorced Parent Pledge
The New Year brings with it lost of promise. Many people set goals for themselves in the form of New Year resolutions. Although sticking to an exercise program, eating healthier, and quitting smoking are all popular and important resolutions to have, one of the most important resolutions you can make as a divorced parent is to make what one family therapist calls the "Divorced Parent Pledge" to ensure a secure and happy life for your child.
Some of the promises a divorced parent can make to their children include:
- Do not try to make the changes divorce brings to a child’s life sound as if it will all be a new adventure. Acknowledge that a lot of these changes can be scary, and sad, for your child. Validate their feelings. But also reassure that it will all work out and everything will be okay for them.
- Even if your child repeats something negative about something their other parent says about you or blames you for, do not get into a finger pointing match over it. Do not use your child as a messenger delivery service to keep a feud going with your ex or to deliver child support or alimony checks.
The Changing Face Of Marriage Dissolution
Expect more gray divorces in the coming years.
For one thing, the divorce rate among younger couples has decreased. More people staying married through their 30s and 40s means that there are more couples who could break up in their 50s and 60s. Additionally, people are living longer and enjoying sustained quality of life. To many people, "60 is the new 40" and "80 is the new 60."
Issues in a Late-in-Life Divorce
Between 1990 and 2010, the divorce rate for people over 50 doubled. For many, the "empty-nest" syndrome was a key contributing factor. Marital trauma, such as adultery or illness, may play a part as well. Regardless of the cause, older divorcees must often deal with a significant amount of grief and other emotional baggage.
Divorce Stress Linked to Hair Loss in Women
The Illinois Department of Health lists a total of 2,310 divorces and annulments in DuPage County in 2011. This accounts for 18 more than listed the year prior. Divorce is never a pleasant ordeal and can cause a high amount of stress for the thousands of people it affects every year. Undoubtedly, there are a number of factors that can lead to hair loss, including poor nutrition or genetics, but studies have linked stress caused by divorce to hair loss in women.
An article published by U.S. News & World Report shares research that indicates hair loss due to stress from losing a spouse is only second behind genetics as the strongest culprit in females. Health habits may change during divorce proceedings, which may be attributed to increased stress and subsequent hair loss.
Hidden Assets Hurt the Divorce Process
When a couple divorces, there are a number of issues to be considered. Spousal maintenance, child support, custody/visitation, and division of assets must all be negotiated to an extent by the court presiding over the proceedings. Many of these subjects can often turn contentious, as the relationship between divorcing partners deteriorates. This, unfortunately, can lead to one party to manipulate the circumstances in such a way that the divorce agreement disproportionately benefits that person. One way in which this might be attempted is by hiding financial or other assets from the other spouse.
Hiding assets can be serious problem, as many determinations in a divorce agreement are dependent on the financial situation of each spouse. Often including cash, bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds, assets which are not disclosed to the court may affect resulting orders related to alimony (called spousal maintenance in Illinois) and child support. As such, a spouse intentionally hiding or disguising financial resources not only commits a serious crime, but also can negatively the impact the well-being the couple’s children.
Study Finds Link Between Bad Marriage and Bad Heart
If you are stuck in a bad marriage, you may be suffering from a broken heart – literally. A new study has concluded that there is a link between living in an unhappy marriage and dealing with heart disease.
Previous studies which suggested such a link were all lab-based. This new study, which was funded by the National Institute of Aging and recently published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, was the first population-representative research to confirm these findings. The research team was made up of sociologists from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
The study examined data collected for the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project. The data used was taken over a period of five years from 1,200 married men and women. At the beginning of that project, the ages of participants ranged in age from 57 to 85 years old. Not only did participants answer questions regarding the quality of their marriage, but they were also asked questions regarding their cardio-health and subjected to lab tests over the five years of the project.
Many States Fail to Make the Grade in Shared Child Custody Statutes
The National Parents Organization (NPO) recently announced its 2014 Shared Parenting Report Card. This report details the first national study which gives an extensive overview of each of the 50 states and their standings when it comes to child custody. Specifically, the study examines each state’s degree of encouraging of shared parenting following a couple’s divorce or separation.
Surprisingly, courts have not made the great strides when it comes to shared custody plans as many people think they have. According to the report, custody is granted to the mother in approximately 80 percent of child custody cases, even though numerous studies have overwhelmingly proved that children do much better emotionally, physically and socially when both parents are heavily involved in their daily life.
The research team analyzed data from all the states; however, they were only able to assess data of children born to unmarried parents in 45 states. These states have laws that address both children born into marriage, as well as children born out-of-wedlock. In the remaining five states which do not have statues that address children born to unmarried parents, the team was only able to assess the information of child custody cases between married parents. In their report, the researchers point out that, according to the most recent U.S. Health and Human Services statistics, almost 40 percent of children are now born to unmarried parents.
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