Home and family

Failing to pay for child support has repercussions, one of which is the denial of passport. Deadbeat parents, or those who have been unable to meet their child support obligation, can have their passports revoked under the law. With the Passport Denial Program, parents who have arrearages over $2,500 will not be able to apply for a new passport or use any passport services until they settle their debt.

Under the program, the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement can file a report to the Department of State, which has the power to deny passport services to a non-custodial parent failing to pay for child support. The parents' inclusion in the Passport Denial Program will only be removed after a certain period of time upon payment of their debt.

Read more →  

Marrying into someone's family requires a period of adjustment. An advise to step Parenting

Family members may feel threatened by your presence in their lives, so develop a relationship with them gradually. With adult step children, begin with brief conversations about innocuous topics: the weather, a hobby, or entertainment, for example.

If they behave badly towards you, demand they treat you with respect, reminding them you are their father's choice of spouse. If they act chilly, don't personalize it. They are struggling with feelings of loyalty towards their birth parent.

Listen to them talk about themselves. It will give them a secure feeling of being accepted. Be their friend and give them space to lead their own lives.

Read more →  

A dog attack is not as common a thing as was seen in the later part of the 20th and the early part of the 21st century. A dog bite could lead to the death of that particular person even. A lot of study is being done on who should be blamed for the attacks made by the dogs like the inaction of the owner of the dog or the kind of breed the dog is of.

Generally it is seen that dogs do not attack humans unnecessarily unless provoked to do so. At times toddlers playfully could pull the dog's ears or tail which could make the dog nip or bite. The dog does this, basically as a form of defense and not attack. Provocation has a number of shades and is not a case of white or black as to why a dog could attack.

Read more →  

A list of child discipline strategies is best to refer to improve the habits of your child, whatever may be the age. When it comes to disciplining the child one of the most important things is being consistent at all times. If the child behaves in a desirable manner then a reward in the form of money, toy, praise, food etc in tangible or non tangible form can be awarded.

Ensure something that is fun filled is done on a regular basis with the child for which you will need to set aside time. Teaching them what exactly has to be done, instead of constantly telling them what does not have to be done, is more important. If there is a particular way you would like the child to behave in then demonstrate this.

Read more →  

When you lose your job and you have child support to pay, it doesn't free you from your financial obligation to your child. You will still have to make child support payments even if you no longer have a source of income. This can be a huge problem to you because failure to pay for child support can lead to many problems.

The state can revoke or deny you a passport, as well as suspend your driver's and recreational licenses. Your car can be seized, while you can be found in contempt of court should you try to hide from your former spouse and child. Worse, you can be put behind bars in some states that impose prison time for those failing to meet their child support obligations.

Read more →  

How to keep a relationship affected by distance, marriage, separation going

Families grow up together, but inevitably marriage and careers can put great distances between parents and their children. Grandparents want to see and hear how their grandchildren are doing. And grandchildren need to know who their grandparents are, begin learning the family history, and develop relationships with their extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In the past, postal mail and long-distance telephone service have kept us connected. Now we have the Internet, email, digital cameras, and web cams to provide us with frequent opportunities to stay in touch.

Read more →  

For the past several weeks, the only thing I have been hearing in Haiti is Co-ownership. President Michel Martelly just signed a new decree that was supposed to revolutionize Haiti in term of housing. It's a decree for the application of the law of Co-ownership.

I do not want to be the devil advocate but someone has to raise this issue.

Is this Co-ownership really possible in Haiti? A country where no one trusts no one. A country where people tend to take the law into their own hands in search of justice.

Read more →  

When disaster strikes, children are one of the most people prone to trauma. The pictures they see and the stories they hear can double the disaster's impact on their emotional and psychological state. They can become more afraid, sad and agitated. In order to avoid this, you have to help them deal with the disaster's effects by talking to them and letting them know that everything would be okay later on.

It would be better to prevent your child from seeing disturbing images of the disaster. Don't let them watch the news that show the disaster's effects but remember that you still have to inform them of what is happening around them. Just don't be too graphic about it because you might scare them. Asking them about their feelings and worries about the situation can also help. This way, you are allowing your children to express their emotions and addressing them.

Read more →  

The term used for children with this arrangement is restavek (one who stays).

Haiti suffers the reputation as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Many Haitian families cannot afford the care of their own children, so they send them to live with rich families as unpaid domestics or Restaveks.

Sometimes a restavek will live with a family, who can afford to educate them and give them adequate living conditions. If not, will use the floor as their bed and be subjected to sexual abuse.

Restaveks are domestic slaves, and the majority of them are girls, 80% of them. They perform household chores, not for pay, but in return for shelter, food, clothing, and education, usually of inferior quality. Even under optimal conditions, restaveks have inferior status in the household, even with peers and younger.

Read more →  

The child slave trade has been growing exponentially during the last decade.

After landing in the streets, 2.8 million juveniles are snatched by pornographers. Nearly 1 million children are forced to prostitute themselves. What is even more horrific is their extreme youth, averaged at age 12.

Within U.S. borders, 200,000 juveniles are at peril for being exploited within the sex trade each year. It is estimated child trafficking in the world market is pulling in $12 billion plus every year, affecting 1.2 million plus children. Women and girls make up 80% of victims, half of them minors. Numbering 300,000-400,000, they are kidnapped, bought, and sold between countries for use in the sex trade business.

Read more →