What happens when COVID-19 interferes with an established parenting plan? How common sense and Canada can help us out with reason, creativity and good communication.
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Last week we discussed how the Courts are effected by COVID-19. This week we will discuss what a person can do when they cannot immediately file for divorce.
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You, your neighbors, your town, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States and almost the entire world has been dealing with the COVID-19; here is what the courts have been doing.
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What do courts do if, after the parties are divorced and the issue of custody has been decided, one party wishes to leave the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for another state? People get jobs that could take them far away or want to move closer to family. However, after a a divorce, when one party wants to move its usually unheard of for the other party to want to tag along. Therefore, what happens when one party wants to move with the child to California while the other wants to stay in Massachusetts?
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You are walking down the street and you run into a friend. Although you went to his/her wedding, over the years you lost touch. You talk for a while and exchange pleasantries.
You ask how the family is when the friend responds, “Well, I just got divorced.”
What do you say in response? Most people say, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Why?
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You are a parent, walking along a relatively empty sidewalk, your 7 year-old child holding your hand.
Fifty feet behind you is Walter, a 44 year old ex-convict with a criminal record that includes theft, assault, petty larceny and check fraud. He has never married, but he has a child who he has not seen in over ten years. Fifty feet in front of you is Patty, a divorced woman with no children, but with a history of miscarriages who is very friendly with children and is often posting materials on her Facebook page about her neighbor’s kids who frequently call her “Aunt Patty.”
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It was eight years ago that same-sex marriages became legally recognized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after the landmark case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. At that time Massachusetts became the only state in the nation to legally recognize gay and lesbian marriages.
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If I get divorced, the least of my problems will be what happens to my car.”
“My husband and I are made for each other; there is no way we would ever get divorced.”
“We are about to start off on a new relationship and I think it sets a bad tone to start by asking the person you are about to marry to sign a pre-nup.”
“Why? I don’t own anything!”
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Over the last twenty years (or so) there has been an abundance of men (and some women) who claim they can speak to the dead (As Michael Shermer puts it, “Talking to the dead is easy; the real trick is getting them to talk back.”). Maybe the most well-known of these “mediums” is James van Praagh, a self-titled “unique paranormal.” Van Praagh will oftentimes perform “readings” before large, standing-room-only crowds (for upwards of $50.00 per seat). During these “readings” he claims to be able to speak with the dead family members of his audience.
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A judge sits at the bench as a Mother and Father going through a painful divorce argue through their lawyers about the latest crisis. Mother claims Father has refused to pay for the children's extracurricular activities; Father claims that he does not have the money. The judge is about ready to rule in Mother's favor when the Mother says that "I told my son that if his Father just paid for the class everything would be fine."
And everything stops cold because Mother did something judges hate: she spoke about her divorce with the children.
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Imagine, if you could, a mother of two children, say ages 7 and 4. Let’s say this mother- let’s call her Beth – has just today served her estranged husband – call him Jim –with divorce papers. It’s been a long time coming. Jim moved out the previous year due to his drinking and abusive behavior. Beth is concerned about a lot of things, but one major concern is that Jim may get so angry that he’ll do something “crazy.”
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