Posts tagged "child custody"

The bond between a father and child is an important component to a child's development and ability to form and maintain relationships. The strength of this bond, however, is often tested when parents divorce as mothers typically are awarded primary child custody.

Thanks to medical advances in fertility options, today men and women who want to become parents have many choices. One option for a couple or individual who is unable to conceive naturally is to use donor eggs and a surrogate. A recent child custody dispute, involving a donor's eggs carried by a surrogate may prove to be groundbreaking in how custody matters are determined for children born via surrogacy.

Most people don't look up to celebrities as role models. There are a few exceptions, but the good antics of most A-listers rarely make it into the tabloids. That said, even if you don't want to emulate everything you see celebrities doing, there are still things you can learn from them.

Granted, most of the weddings in Old Bridge do not have the same pomp and circumstance as weddings hosted by celebrities, but there are still lessons high net worth couples can learn from celebrities.

In January 2009, New Jersey officials took away a couple's three young children, and the couple have been fighting the court system for child custody ever since. On November 17, the wife gave birth to a boy, who child care workers also took away following the birth. The names of the children are what drove workers to deny the parents custody.

The couple apparently identifies with Neo-Nazi views, and they gave their children names to that effect. One of their sons who was taken away in 2009 had the name of "Adolf Hitler," and one of the other children had the middle name of "Aryan Nation." They made national headlines at the time after a store refused to put the son's name on a birthday cake.

The answer to this question is not entirely clear. Like many family law matters, the answer will vary from state to state and between different jurisdictions. In some states, a teenager's preference regarding custody may be considered. A judge or a mediator in these states would interview the teenager and then make a determination as to how much, if any, weight should be given to a teenager's child custody preference.

However, "teen" is not a specific age. Some teens may actually be less mature than a younger child. What seems to matter more is the specific reason as to why a child prefers to be in the custody of one parent, as opposed to the other.

One woman felt so desperate to get her three children away from a father's alleged domestic violence that she rounded them up and brought them to Mexico with her and her new husband, violating the terms of the state's child custody orders.

The woman has now been detained for four years later and plans on fighting the legal implications that come with her disappearance and what is being called the kidnapping of her children. Any parent within the United States, including New Jersey, that violates child custody agreements will face legal action.

The woman is going to fight the case, claiming that she took the kids to Mexico to escape an ex-husband who allegedly abused and molested the children.

There are several cases regarding fathers' rights in the United States, especially in New Jersey. A new filmed titled "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" spotlights this and the number of fathers that are treated unfairly in the courts, specifically by being cheated out of custody and overburdened by child support payments. The film will premier soon. It is directed by a civic activist and produced in association with the American Coalition for Fathers and Children.

The film will be beneficial for documenting certain issues that need to be addressed in family courts, but not all of them. The film only highlights the unfairness that fathers sometimes experience in the courts, but it is somewhat one-sided.

Children who have reached at least 10 years of age are able to articulate their desires and opinions, but they are rarely allowed to speak during court proceedings. That may be about to change.

Courts hearings in New Jersey that involve child custody are making additional efforts to hear the wishes of the children before making their decisions. This effort is being made in an attempt to accommodate children who often know what they want.

Childbirth should be an exciting time and the opportunity to celebrate new life. However, when children are born out of wedlock, parents may be faced with an almost opposite situation. The battle for New Jersey parents often starts in court, where parents work with legal officials to determine child custody, child support and father's rights issues.

Unless the parents work out a custody agreement among themselves, prevailing law tends to favor the mother in these cases. In most states, the mother has 100 percent custody rights until the father is identified. After the father is established, he will likely have to initiate legal action if he wants to have custodial rights to the child or even parenting time.