Why It’s Important to Formally Adopt a Step Child
Adopting as a stepparent, means consenting to adopting a spouse's child and taking full responsibility for the child. Following the adoption, the noncustodial parent (the parent who does not live with the child) has no further legal or parental obligations toward the child, including paying child support. State regulations control stepparent
Steps Families Can Take to Help Children Through a Divorce
Divorce can take many shapes. Some marriages end in friendships with all the involved parties walking away amicably. Other marriages are battle-born, battle-bred, and end in wars of attrition. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Bob Livingstone describes the harm high conflict divorces can do to children trying to cope in a world