Tag Archives: divorce

Be Nice!

Posted on by

Why is it that divorce makes us forget how fragile our children are? I firmly believe that in most cases our kids are more resilient than we realize, but when it comes to their parents, that’s not the case. We seem to be a society of fragmented families, so many people get divorced now. It doesn’t have to be all bad, sometimes a divorce was very necessary and everyone, including the children, is better off because of the divorce. So why are we still so bitter? I was listening recently to a friend recount her boyfriend’s interaction with his ex. … Continue reading →

Public Records Can Clear Up Family Mysteries

Posted on by

Sometimes, a person’s genealogy research can feel more like a mystery novel than an investigative project. There are things that you believe to be true about your relatives and ancestors. When you simply cannot find a reliable record to prove what you believe, it may be time to search through the public records. The answers you get might not turn out to be the ones that you were expecting. What are public records? They are documents that were created by a government organization. This can include things like real estate records, court records, records of bankruptcies, liens, and judgements, professional … Continue reading →

Custody Battles Over Pets

I’ve heard of nasty child custody battles, but I’d never thought of the same for pets. However, after reading about the concept in a recent Huffington Post article I don’t find it that surprising. After all, pets are like children to many people and even those that aren’t are still beloved by their owners. It’s no surprise that either divorcing party wouldn’t want to part with their pet. Pet custody has recently become a more contentious issue. Cases have risen 23% and Harvard Law now offers a course in the field. While I imagine that pet custody struggles are not … Continue reading →

Another Side to the Story

In a book I’ve been reading, the couple ends up divorced after the husband has an affair. While we may consider that wrong, there is another side to the story. It is that his wife has neglected him. From the time their son was born she replaced her husband in her time and affections with her son. Everything revolved around the son. No child should ever be put in that position where they are the centre of a parent’s world. Part of the problem in this case was the way she gave into the child and either allowed the child … Continue reading →

Telling the Same Story

Have you ever listened to two people telling the same story? It always sounds different. In some cases it may be so different as to be unrecognizable. Just listen to anyone telling about an argument they had, whether it is with their spouse or some other person. Depending on the person’s personality, what happens is that they come out as either the one doing the right thing or they come out as the victim, the one that is being hard done by. The way they tell it will determine how those listening view them and the other person involved. We … Continue reading →

Average Length of Marriages

Mary Ann posed an interesting question on a recent article, about the average length of marriages these days. It’s hard to track down exact statistics as there are so many variables, but here are a few things I found will give an idea of the length of the average marriage. In the United Kingdom in 2003, out of 153490 divorces, 40,599 divorces occurred during the first 5-9 years time frame. The next biggest number was between 10-14 years 29,831 and 20,923 in the 15-19 years period. What is interesting is the number that ends up in divorce after only 0-2 … Continue reading →

Shocking Separation: Al and Tipper Gore

Posted on by

It seemed to come as a shock to everyone this week when it was announced that former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper are divorcing after 40 years together. The couple told friends via email, “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate. This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.” Gore met … Continue reading →

Is Your Marriage Sacred?

Sometimes the way that you, or your spouse views marriage can tell you a lot about whether or not it is going to last. Here is a question that you should be asking yourself and your spouse right now. Marriage certainly takes a beating in our society. There are endless jokes about nagging wives, clueless husbands and nasty mother-in-laws. Sneaking behind your spouse’s back is played for laughs, and there are now several dating sites available for those who want to have discrete affairs without their spouses finding out. Sigh. How can we really value marriage today when we are … Continue reading →

Parental Alienation Syndrome

Posted on by

I have seen many couples break up and use their children as pawns during arguments and custody battles. Too often, I hear one parent bad-mouth the other parent in front of the children. I have to admit, I have been guilty of the latter. I do make a conscientious effort not to do this, but I’m human, and it does happen from time to time. If this badmouthing occurs frequently, and is causing the child and other parent to have a poor relationship, it may be a condition known as parental alienation syndrome. Parental alienation syndrome occurs when one parent … Continue reading →

What Marriage Is Like

Posted on by

It’s interesting the way things interconnect. The other day I was reading a novel by Lynne Griffin called Life without Summer. You’ll get some interesting insights about marriage and the way grief affects marriage in this novel. Since the author has been involved in family and social work, I’d suggest it is based on a certain amount of experience and knowledge of the subject. After I’d written a review about it, I went into the author’s website and from there into her Family Life Stories blog where she makes an interesting observation about marriage. ‘To come front and center with … Continue reading →