Understanding emotional needs Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability both to manage your own emotions and to understand, interpret and respond to the emotions of people around you. EI is a critical skill for parents engaged in child care and contact disputes. Both attorneys and parents must demonstrate empathy and patience when addressing children’s fears and concerns in a […]
Reprinted from iol.com, by Chevron Booysen – 2024-06-04 The Western Cape High Court has ruled it would be in the best interests of a 12-year-old boy to relocate to Germany following a custody battle between his divorced parents. Judge Gayaat Salie granted the mother, an air traffic controller who accepted a job offer in Germany, […]
Parental rights and responsibilities Nothing causes more conflict and heartache in a divorce case than the issue of child care and contact, also known as custody and access (though the Children’s Act has officially changed those terms to place the emphasis on the rights of the child). Financial arrangements may cause arguments, but care and […]
We came across this communication from a family court judge in the UK to two young brothers caught up in an acrimonious custody battle between their parents. It’s rather sweet that the judge took the time to explain his decision to the boys, who are old enough to have preferences but not old enough to […]
What happens when a child wants to live with their other parent? What happens when a child of divorced parents expresses a preference to live with the (currently) non-custodial parent? As children grow, and their relationship with each parent develops, they may at some point decide they would like to go live with the other […]
An alienated father tells his story. Reprinted from the Mail & Guardian, by Guy Oliver – 2022-08-11 Through an alienated father’s jaundiced eye, Hollywood luminary Brad Pitt — shorn of fame’s vapour trails — is just another frog in the pot warming to the boil for dismemberment by the mother of his children. Pitt and […]
Pretoria – A South African mother scored a legal victory that will enable her to keep her son with her following an application by her estranged husband that the child be returned to him in the UK. Reprinted from the Pretoria News, by Zelda Venter – 2022-03-14 The husband is a UK citizen and his […]
What the law says Sadly, one of the causes of divorce or relationship breakdown is domestic abuse, whether physical or emotional. The situation is traumatic enough on its own, but when there are children of the marriage or partnership, it can become very complicated. Numerous competing rights need to be balanced. How do you go […]
