My uncle is probably getting ready to start his Christmas shopping right about now. From what he’s told me, it’s neither an avoidance nor a bargain-maximization thing. It’s an immersion process for him that feeds his Christmas Spirit. Divorced families will be adding miles to minivan odometers right alongside my dad’s brother, of course. I see from the Michigan Parenting Time Guideline, that nine o’clock tonight is recommended for these big holiday time parenting switches. [1] With a statewide Friend of the Court caseload of 697,506 custody matters, that’s reason enough for me to walk Mrs. Poyndexter’s Samoyed this evening…. Continue Reading…
November 27, 2004
Depression afflicts 9.5% of the U.S. population. [1] Now if you have a Judgment of Divorce entered this time of year, many friends will instinctually look out for signs of depression. But I’m going to ask that we open our eyes a good deal wider. [2] Beyond divorce, holidays alone can increase our stress levels to on-par with a job interview. Remember, the two years after divorce are a “crisis period.” And it takes the first 6 to 10 months of this for us to achieve a state nominally reminiscent of our lives before the divorce kettles started bubbling. To… Continue Reading…
Thanksgiving morning: A little more winter than fall, as this heavy-hearted dream was described to me. “Margaret” was walking to the front door of her in-laws’ house. Did I say in-laws? Former in-laws. She stopped to wipe the frost away from a window to look in. The dining room was familiar — warmly lit, table inviting. Yet there sat “the other woman,” in the chair Margaret had exclusively graced for 29 years. Margaret’s fingers felt cold. Today, three years later, she is about to complete her degree. She’s scoring 95% on her exams, and wrote this to me last Friday…. Continue Reading…