Monday July 30, 2012 at 9:00am
Want a bit of happiness in your life? Then get married. Married people are happier than those who aren’t, suggests new Office of National Statistics (ONS) data on the “happiness index” published last week. This may raise eyebrows among 1970s comedians who joked about “the wife” and “the ball and chain”, but is music to my ears.
The figures show 82% of people in marriages or civil partnerships said they rated their life satisfaction as high or medium. F....
Thursday July 26, 2012 at 9:00am
Understandably, when a couple divorces, there is a keenness and focus on how to divide assets and how to settle arrangements for any children. Children should be first priority in any situation. The family law system in the UK dictates quite rightly that the wishes and wellbeing of any child should be the starting point for any residence and contact discussions.
After this, or often at the same time as this, the house, the contents, the bank accounts, the pension, the cars &ndash....
Tuesday July 24, 2012 at 9:00am
I was alerted the other day to a new programme airing on digital channel, ‘Really’. I was surprised and then appalled to see an entertainment show called Divorce Court. As you might expect, this is an import from the United States where they are a few years ahead of us in terms of TV cameras and other media being allowed into court rooms (whether real or staged). I say ahead of us, but this does not mean I am for it. I just think it is a sad eventuality that will....
Thursday July 19, 2012 at 9:00am
I was staggered the other day when I stumbled across an article that said one in six married couples met on an online dating site. Isn’t that incredible? I looked into it more closely and these figures are a couple of years old and the study was in the US, (for dating website Match.com), but still – one in six?! I wonder what the statistic would have been even 10 years ago? It seems long gone are the days where a weekend trip to the local disco, throwing some shapes on the danc....
Monday July 16, 2012 at 9:00am
It was sad to hear the news that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are to divorce. And it was said their six-year-old daughter would be at the centre of the legal battle. Great news therefore to learn they have come to an agreement already - Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes reach divorce settlement.
Too often we see children in divorce being used as pawns with which parents try to score points off each other. However, this case is a little different if you believe half of the reports goin....
Thursday July 12, 2012 at 9:00am
It appears there is still significant confusion around exactly what will be in the Children and Families Bill in relation to shared parenting. I have blogged several times on this issue in the last year. It has been a kind of “will they, won’t they” situation on a number of points in terms of what will be covered in new legislation.
The most high profile issue has undoubtedly been around children’s rights to have a relationship with both parents, eg it i....
Tuesday July 10, 2012 at 9:00am
So the school summer holidays are almost here again. This used to be a time of strategic planning to care for and look after the children across six sun-soaked weeks, family holidays and chaos around the house. These days, for me, it is more about being pleasantly surprised how much quieter the roads are at peak times than they would normally be without all the school run traffic. Times change.
However, there will be millions of families across the UK for whom the preparations ment....
Wednesday July 4, 2012 at 9:00am
I’ve always wanted to write a headline like that! Has a real tabloid ring to it. Hopefully, it is still obvious what this blog is about. It’s the ongoing issue of legalising gay marriage and, in particular, the Church of England’s unusually strong opposition to it.
Now the Church of England is perhaps less well known for its strong views than it is for its welcoming cups of tea after a service which these days is as likely to involve PowerPoint slides, guitars and arms raised....