Author: Vicki Ritterband
Part II of Uncoupling Gwyneth Style: Taking the Disagreement Out of Divorce. Read Part I here. Child-Centered Divorce When Jae Sparks and his wife Michelle divorced in 2010, she moved their two daughters to Massachusetts from their home in Pennsylvania for a job opportunity she couldn’t turn down. Sparks was determined to see his daughters, one of whom has special needs, as much as possible. He’s made good on the promise, and flies to Boston every other week, sleeping in a basement bedroom in Michelle’s home. He has custody of them most holidays and during the summer as well. Staying ...
There is a line from Pat Barone’s divorce settlement agreement that goes like this: The parties have agreed to emotionally and spiritually support each other’s future lives and endeavors and to show respect for each other and their 23-year marriage. In many ways Barone’s divorce decree is like most documents dissolving a marriage—outlining division of assets, custody arrangements for children, and the like— but with a very loving twist. Barone, a professional coach from Wisconsin, refers to it as “happy divorce.” Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin call their version "conscious uncoupling”—to much derision. The philosophy is surrounded by this notion: ...
Like many parents, Lisa Bonaquist talks with her two teenagers about marijuana. When her 16-year-old argues that compared to alcohol, it’s relatively safe, the Saratoga, New York, mother has a simple retort: “It’s illegal and if you get caught, there are consequences.” At least for now. Legalized Marijuana New York may someday follow in the footsteps of 20 states and the District of Columbia, where marijuana is not quite as illegal as it once was. In these places, physicians may now authorize patients to use medical marijuana for certain purposes, like relieving nausea caused by che- motherapy or treating chronic ...
