Every parent must financially support their child. Some non-custodial moms and dads think that they can absolve themselves of that responsibility if a judge locks them up in jail, they move out-of-state, file bankruptcy or quit their job. Most of this isn't right, though. The Kansas Department for Children and Families' Child Support Services (CSS) can take legal action against a parent who is locked up in county jail as well as state or federal prison. The state agency warns that collecting child support from an inmate who has little assets or participating in a work-release program may be di ..read more

As a father, it is your right and responsibility to be there for your child. You waited for this moment for much of your life, and knowing that your child is here is something that you're moved by. You want to always be there by their side. You and your child's mother were not married when she got pregnant, and you have some questions about the baby's actual paternity. Maybe your relationship with the mother was a little rocky at one point and you were apart, or maybe you simply suspect that she was seeing other people. Whatever the reason for your doubts, you do have the opportunity to ask fo ..read more

Divorces happen all the time, so you chalked your first divorce up to nothing more than inexperience, a bad match, immaturity or something similar. When your second divorce (or third) came around, however, you started to question things. Are you unlucky in love? Are you just bad at being married? Probably nothing of the kind. The reality is first marriages still fail roughly 50% of the time and every subsequent marriage you're in has an ever greater chance of divorce. A second marriage, for example, is likely to fail about 67% of the time. Roughly 74% of third marriages will crumble. People ar ..read more

Many men who have children want to care for their children. While they don't necessarily need to have legal documentation to do this, some decide that they want the legal acknowledgement of paternity. There are a few ways that this can happen. Regardless of which method is used, an establishment of paternity has several benefits for the child, the mother and the father. You can sign an acknowledgement of paternity to get this done, but you should only do this if you're absolutely sure you're the father. There are some circumstances that mean you won't be able to do this. If she was separated b ..read more

One of the most difficult things for children to get used to when their parents divorce is spending time in two different homes. They may find that the days when they transition from one home to other are especially challenging. Trying to make these as easy as possible can greatly benefit the children. Make sure they know when they will switch homes. This isn't always easy, especially when they are younger, but having something like a countdown or helping them to understand it on a calendar might be beneficial. Just be careful that the countdown doesn't become their sole focal point. It helps ..read more

The process of divorcing is often complex and difficult. There are a few things that make this even more challenging. Having numerous assets or having an ex who isn't willing to work to come to mutually agreeable terms are two of these. We know that you might not want to think about having to battle things out in court, but it may be necessary if the negotiations to come up with a settlement aren't successful. Negotiating the terms of the divorce requires that you and your ex both be willing to compromise. In most cases, neither party is going to get everything they want. Being able to think c ..read more

Keeping your kids safe is one of the top priorities for parents. This doesn't stop just because you go through a divorce, but it can become much more complicated because you have to relay specific information to their other parent. It's imperative that you remember the goal of this communication is to help keep the kids safe and healthy. It's usually better to let your ex know what's going on with the kids when it happens. Of course, you don't need to contact them every few minutes with updates, but be sure that they know the important things. Discussing medical care, including symptoms when t ..read more

When parents divorce, they have to come up with terms of how to handle the child's expenses. Typically, this means that one parent pays for the medical expenses for the kid. One parent might be ordered to carry the child on their health insurance plan, but there are usually some medical expenses that aren't covered by these policies. Because of this, there must be information about how uninsured medical expenses will be handled. A few of the more common uninsured medical expenses that fall under these orders include co-pays, deductibles and prescription costs. Essentially anything that has to ..read more

Whenever possible, courts in Kansas and throughout the country want parents to split custody of their children equally. In many cases, individuals assume that alternating weeks is the best way to allocate parenting time. However, children who spend too much time away from a parent could develop separation anxiety. It may also make them feel as if their parents don't love or care about them as much as they truly do. Parents should consider whether having custody of a child for an entire week is feasible from a logistical standpoint. For example, it may be difficult to drop a child off at school ..read more

When Kansas parents get a divorce, their children may struggle to cope with the fallout of that decision. In some cases, they may believe that they were the ones who caused the marriage to end. It is important that they understand that there was nothing they could do to prevent the divorce from taking place. It is also important that a child has someone to talk to when the need arises. In some cases, it can be healthy and appropriate for kids to talk with their parents when they are feeling sad, anxious or nervous. Ideally, children will not feel compelled to devote their loyalty to one parent ..read more