Unlike divorce, a legal separation does not put an end to the marriage. During a legal separation, you have a court order that outlines the rights and responsibilities of each spouse while they are living apart. You remain legally married while choosing to live separate lives. Issues that can be addressed in a separation agreement are division of assets and debts, child custody and child support, visitation schedules and spousal support.

The same issues addressed during the divorce process are also addressed in a legal separation agreement. A legal separation can protect your interests until the decision is made to file for divorce. The separation agreement also sets a precedence for the divorce that may follow. If you divorce after a separation and your case goes to court, a judge is likely to assume...read more about legal separation

I’ve discovered something new, an online blog/magazine devoted to single dads. It isn’t the first I’ve read but it is by far the best.

If you visit SingleDadLife you will find articles written by experts that cover everything from dating and sex to health and fitness.

Today I’m going to send you their way by sharing a post I believe every single Dad should read.

No Excuse Not To Be Involved

Courtesy: SingleDadLife

Research is unequivocal that few fathers abandon their children voluntarily. Most fatherless children result from fathers being forcibly separated from their children by the court system.

I’m not going to open that can of worms here. Not yet. It’s too big a can.

But I will say this: The family court process of determining who should have the right to see the children and when can be a…go on now, get on over and read about the importance of fathers in their children’s lives.

A Restraining Order is a court order intended to protect you from further harm from someone who has hurt you; to keep the abuser away from you, or to stop harassing you, or keep the abuser from the scene of the violence, which may include your home, place of work, or apartment. It is a civil order and it does not give the abuser a criminal record.

A victim of domestic violence can obtain a Restraining Order. A victim of domestic abuse means a person protected by the law and shall include any person who has been subjected to domestic abuse by a spouse, or any other person who is a present or former household member and where the victim is 18 years of age or older or who is an emancipated minor. A victim, of any age, who has been subjected to domestic violence by...read more about restraining orders

In He’s History; You’re Not: Surviving Divorce After Forty, Erica Manfred shares her own divorce experience as well as the advice of experts, with specific sections tailored to women in their 40s, 50s and 60s. This is what Erica says about her book:

“I was fifty-eight when my husband announced he was leaving for a younger woman Luckily, I had a girlfriend who had been through a recent divorce-a friend who coached me through the frustrating, frightening process of taking care of myself again.

Even though divorce is a rite of passage that large numbers of women go through every year, its aftermath is impossible to understand unless you’ve been through it—especially the impact of divorce on older women.

Alone at fifty-eight, broke, traumatized, depressed, convinced I’d never find a decent job, another man, or another life, made me think about how many other women were in the same boat as me, or an even worse one.

It also made me think about who women turn to when they get divorced no matter how old they are.  Divorced women, especially if they’re women of a “certain age,” need advice not just from experts but also from someone who's been there, done that.  This book is written for those women who need advice from just that someone."

He’s History; You’re Not discusses how to:

• Avoid “kiss of death” marriage counselors to determine if reconciliation is possible.
• Find an affordable divorce lawyer.
• Survive the first, worst year
• Deal with your adult or teen kids (who can be just as devastated as small children)
• Get back to work or find a new career (age discrimination does not have to stop you)
• Use the Internet to date the Viagra generation
• Restore your self-esteem despite body parts that have succumbed to gravity
• Forgive your ex (and yourself) and finally move on.