Moskowitz explains that two common problems often arise: either a party fails to clear vacation dates with the other, or a parent plans a vacation that conflicts or is not approved by the other parent.  What parents should know, is that vacation plans can be established in a divorce settlement.  Parents can decide if they will switch off every year or if they will schedule around each other to take the kids on two vacations (one with each parent).

If parents want to vacation in the summer with their children every year, they should establish dates for their trips as soon as January comes around to give their ex-spouse plenty of notice.  Moskowitz specifically recommends establishing the plans in writing. “There’s no substitute for preparing and no better way to prevent confusion than getting the plan in writing,” he says. “Ideally, parents do it that way from the first year of a divorce and make it an annual practice.”

As a final thought, Moskowitz reminds parents that even though vacations are fun, they are also important to you and your children.  Individual parents should never feel they need to give up their vacation time with thier kids because this time is very special.  It doesn’t matter where the location of the trip is, but the time of undivided attention for your child is priceless.

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1. There is a job for everyone.  If your kids are at least 15, they can go out in the work force and look for typical summer jobs.  A lot of theme parks, beach clubs, and hotels hire extra help for the summer to handle the increase in vacation guests, so advise your kids to start their search there.  For younger children, recommend they determine their most useful skills to help out people in their neighborhood.  Babysitting, mowing lawns, and cleaning houses are common choices, and your kids will likely get work from nearby friends and family members.

2. Preparation is key.  Many teenagers are not aware of the level of professionalism they need to show during the job search process because they have never looked for a job before.  Encourage good habits of arriving to interviews early, dressing conservatively when visiting possible job sites, maintaining a professional voice mail message, and treating everyone (even the receptionist and security guard) at a potential company with respect.  Employers will be impressed with your child’s maturity, and will most likely consider them before other candidates.

3. Don’t dismiss unpaid positions.  Some children only want to work to earn money, but explain the value of completing volunteer work or an internship to build up a resume.  Your child may be too young to land a great position now, but offering to work for a reputable company without pay is a great way to get their foot in the door for opportunities down the line.  It also will look great on college applications later!

4. There are five No’s for every Yes.  In this economic environment, your children may not get the first job they apply for.  They may not even get the fifth job they apply for.  It’s up to you as the parent to encourage them to keep trying.  Going to interviews and formatting resumes for companies is a great way for your children to learn how to conduct an effective job search.  Remind them you are proud of them for taking initiative, and play an active role in helping them by conducting mock interviews and editing their resumes as they continue to search.

When your child lands a job, consider reading our blog post on Teaching Your Kids Financial Responsibility for tips on helping them manage their money.

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First, it is important to instill confidence in your child.  The National Youth Violence Prevention Center reported that most kids that are bullied are anxious, insecure, and have low self-esteem.  While it is important to teach your kids not to retaliate against a bully, fathers can promote children standing up for themselves verbally.  This confidence and verbal interaction might influence the bully to move on and avoid confronting your child in the future.

If bullying persists at your child’s school, consider notifying teachers or the principal to discuss any known students participating in bullying.  The school will most likely contact the bully’s parents and try to resolve the issue quietly and prevent any harassment in the future.  Fathers can also start up (or join existing) anti-bullying programs associated with their child’s school.  These programs were cited as one of the main reasons that bullying has reduced over the past few years.

To read GreatDad’s original article, click here.

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Fathers should start by asking their children what they would like to do for their mothers on this holiday, and then plan out how they can help. If the kids are younger, fathers can help them make homemade cards, cookies, or other assorted arts and craft projects.  If the kids are older, fathers can instead offer to take them to a store to purchase cards and gifts, and possibly help sponsor a purchase if it is slightly out of the child’s price range.

It is also important for fathers to recognize stepmothers during this holiday by encouraging small gestures from their children to show respect and appreciation.  Stepmother gifts do not have to be over the top; a simple card or small bouquet will do.

The most important thing fathers should remember this week is to put their kids first.  Mother’s Day is just as much about the children as it is the mother, so it is a good time for fathers to put their differences aside and help kids follow through with any special plan they put together.  Don’t forget that Father’s Day is just around the corner, and this appreciation will soon be returned!

To read more advice on Mother’s Day for fathers, check out this article from Fathers.com.

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1.  Make sure your kids are prepared. A few days before the test, check in with your child and offer to quiz them on difficult material or help them brainstorm unique studying techniques (flash cards, mnemonic devices, repetition, etc.) that will help them memorize all the material they need to know.

2. Keep your kids relaxed. If your children have been studying for a long time, offer to take them out for ice cream or for a quick visit to the park to give them a break.  This will refresh them for when they go back to studying later.

3. Remind your kids that you care. Try to pick up the slack on your kid’s chores for the week if they have an exceptionally hard test to study for.  Explain to them that you know that studying can be tiring, but you are there to support them by making their workload easier for the week.  If you have a child off at college, send a care package full of tasty snacks and letters of encouragement to remind your son or daughter that you are thinking of them from home.

4. Make sure your kids do not sacrifice their health for studying. Even though getting a good grade should be important to your child, you should remind your kids that staying healthy is just as important.  Your child will likely do poorly on an exam if they pull an all-nighter to study longer rather than get some much needed rest.  Encourage your kids to stop studying at a reasonable hour and go to bed early.  Offer up the idea of helping them through a quick review in the morning to make up for the time they lose at night.  Also, stock the fridge with plenty of healthy snacks and water so students do not turn to soda and sugary snacks during study periods.

5. Reward your kids after they complete a difficult test. Before your kids get their final grades, take them out to their favorite restaurant or treat them to an afternoon movie to congratulate them on their efforts.  This will help your kids maintain a positive attitude about their performance on exams.

To read All Pro Dad’s original Play of the Day on Test Anxiety help, click here.

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1. Re-enforce that money only happens after children earn it.  Kids should be aware that future income or allowances might not always be there when they need it.

2. The size of a child’s allowance shouldn’t make them the poorest kid in school, but it should not cover everything your child wants to buy either.  Children should have enough money that they choose only a few things to spend their money in or make a goal to save up for a big purchase.

3. Good grades and helping out around the house is expected.  Don’t let kids talk you into excess rewards.

4. Children should only be allowed to spend 50% of their savings on a purchase.  They should never be allowed to spend their entire savings at any one time.

Remember the greatest gift you can give your kids is self-sufficiency when it comes to managing their own finances.  Mr. Opdyke agrees with this statement and encouraged parents that teaching financial responsibility is “greater than any inheritance you might one day leave behind.”

To read the original article from The Wall Street Journal, click here.

One of the first things parents should do to help their kids through a divorce is to be mindful of their own visual cues.  Eye rolling, frowning, and dirty looks will not go unnoticed by children.  Therefore, parents need to keep a positive attitude around their ex, so that children can ease into the separation.  Parents should also try to keep their wedding ring on a little longer because it is a symbol of unity the child will be familiar with.  Dunstan suggests “When you’re ready, replace it with one you pick out with your child or move it to another finger.”

Children are also likely to pick up on changes in parents’ tone of voice.  “If you think a conversation with your ex will end badly, try and have conversations when your kids are not around or go in your car on your cell phone,” Dunstan advises.  She explains that kids will feel hopeless and guilty if they hear you yelling at the other parent because they love whoever is on the receiving end, too.

Another way to help children feel loved during a divorce is to keep special events family-based.  If your child has a concert or a game, they won’t enjoy it if one parent is excluded.  Make sure both you and your ex are aware of upcoming family activities, and remind yourself that you are there to support your child.

Dunstan’s last piece of advice is to stay positive and patient.  “Always act in a way you can be proud of,” she says, and remember that children will “copy your behavior in their own relationships. “  While your children are still young now, they will eventually move out when they are older.  Parents will want their children to continue their relationship with them beyond leaving the house, so providing a secure and loving environment now can have a long term positive effect on the future for both you and your kids.

Click here to read the full article, “Helping Your Child Feel Secure and Loved Through Divorce.”

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Baskerville quotes about the book, “Taken Into Custody is the most comprehensive exposé yet published by a major publishing house on the depredations of the divorce industry.  I say this conscious that I am standing on the shoulders of others.  This book was made possible by the pioneering efforts of authors who have preceded me (all of whose work it draws upon): Jed Abraham, Sanford Braver, Warren Farrell, Jeffery Leving, David Levy, Melanie Phillips, Dean Tong, Cathy Young, plus Richard Doyle, Bai Macfarlane, Judy Parejko, Robert Seidenberg, and others (including, most recently, Phyllis Schlafly in the revised paperback edition of her latest book).  Yet because they were breaking ground, most of these writers were either pressured to tone down their language or forced to self-publish.  This is the first book from a major publisher that has been permitted to speak the unvarnished truth about the divorce machinery: its destruction of families, its violations of the Constitution, its disregard for due process of law, its voracious appetite for children, parents, and families.  This is no tirade however but a thoroughly documented study of a previously neglected abuse by a credentialed political scientist.  The result is a major breakthrough in exposing the greatest civil rights abuse of our time and the most repressive government machine ever created in the United States.”

Click here to order the book from Amazon.com.

With articles such as “Paying More Attention to Fathers,” “Fathers Gain Respect from Experts (and Mothers),” “The Basics of Fatherhood,” and “More Dads Influence Daughters’ Career Paths,” the nation is beginning to understand that BOTH parents are key factors in the wellbeing of a child’s upbringing. Managing Attorney Jeffrey Feulner of the Men’s Divorce Law Firm commends the New York Times for continuing the nationwide effort to raise awareness of the importance of fathers in the lives of their children.

As quoted in on of the articles, ‘“The walls in family resource centers are pink, there are women’s magazines in the waiting room, the mother’s name is on the files, and the home visitor asks for the mother if the father answers the door,” said Philip A. Cowan, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, who along with his wife, Carolyn Pape Cowan, has conducted decades of research on families. “It’s like fathers are not there.”’

The times are now changing, and it is important that every parent becomes educated about the effects of a fatherless environment.

The full articles from the New York Times:

Paying More Attention to Fathers

Fathers Gain Respect From Experts (and Mothers)

The Basics of Fatherhood

More Dads Influence Daughters’ Career Paths

From a book made mostly of pictures to an hour and a half movie, a lot more story had to be added in order for the film to fill in the extra time. The movie is about a boy, Max, who is dealing with his parents’ divorce by rebelling and acting out. Although the detail and animation is superb, the storyline seems to send the wrong message in that it suggests the children are the ones responsible for moving past their parents’ divorce.

Children going through a divorce can be on a steep emotional edge. It is important for both parents to stay involved to reassure the kids that they are still loved equally and that the divorce is not their fault.

For more information on “Where the Wild Things Are,” click here.