Evans Georgia Legal Blog

Georgia parents who are divorcing know the stress the process can cause. It can be taxing in any number of ways. It can also be hard on their kids. The effects of their parents divorcing can be severe on the children, and it can impact them intio adulthood. Studies have shown that children of divorce are at an increased risk of forming negative relationships or being overweight. There are steps divorcing parents can take, though, to minimize the negative consequences for their kids.

Despite the high levels of emotion involved for the people divorcing, it is important to protect the children from emotions like guilt, sorrow and anger. It's a good idea for parents to establish behavioral ground rules for themselves. Simple things like agreeing not to fight in front of the kids can make the process much easier for them. It's also important for parents to give the children some answers, but without the extreme negative emotion that can be hard for them to understand. They don't need to have all the details, and giving them too much information can increase the burden on them.

There are several steps that individuals in Georgia can take to protect their savings in the event of a divorce. First, it can be a good idea to create a budget that will take into account housing, health care and other expenses a person will need to pay on his or her own. It is fine to use rough estimates until exact figures become available. Creating a budget can help a person determine whether it is necessary to cut expenses or increase retirement contributions.

In some cases, an individual will need to work a few more years to save enough money to retire comfortably. Those who have saved less than their spouses may be entitled to ask for a portion of any savings accumulated during a marriage. Money inside of a 401(k) will need to be transferred per the terms of a qualified domestic relations order.

A motorist in Georgia who is facing a drunk driving charge has certain defense options at their disposal. A common approach to defending against such charges is to question the evidence or the actions of the arresting officer. There are also "affirmative" defenses, referring to instances where there was a valid reason for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Affirmative drunk driving defenses could include an assertion that driving while intoxicated was necessary due to unique circumstances or that a driver was forced to drive drunk under duress. A charged driver may also claim that the arresting officer encouraged a motorist to become intoxicated. With a mistake of fact, a driver makes a case for honestly not realizing they were impaired. An involuntary intoxication defense means a driver was unknowingly given alcohol, like what might happen if drinks were spiked at a party.

For some divorced Georgia parents, co-parenting a teenager can present some challenges. Some parents may assume that the teen is mature enough to need less hands-on parenting. While teens do need to be treated differently from younger children, it is still important for parents to remain involved.

Some parents might be tempted to ease up on what could be fraught regular communication with the other parent. However, parents still need to talk to each other, and they should not try to do so through their teen. If they do not communicate, each parent may assume the other has more information than is the case. Parents may also assume the teen is behaving in the same way around each of them, and this may not be the case. This can mean parents do not know about certain issues the teen may be having.