One of the biggest concerns in any separation, divorce, or dissolution proceeding is often: “How will this affect the kids?” And for good reason.

According to a landmark 25-year study, adult children of divorce have more unstable father-child relationships, greater reluctance about commitment, and less education than their non-divorced counterparts. Also, these children carry very impactful, and sometimes traumatic, memories of the process of forced custody and visitation.

In a recent op-ed piece by Beth Behrendt in the New York Times, she recounts an associate’s adult reflection on the hardship of being split between two lives.

“It was 30 years ago but I will never forget my little sister sobbing uncontrollably every time we had to move houses. It was awful.”

You spent a long time getting your shared parenting plan hammered out so that both you and your ex were satisfied with it.

Or maybe you had a protracted custody battle that ended in the court making the parenting decision for you.

Either way, there is often some point in their lives that a child may start to resent the visitation schedule and refuse to see the other parent.

What can you do in this situation?

Are you supposed to make your child go or should you give in?

What are the possible legal consequences?

And can older children decide on their own whether or not they want to visit the non-custodial parent?

In this article, we will discuss common problems that happen in shared parenting, the possible legal ramifications and some things you can do to make the transition easier on your child.

Parents have a responsibility to support their children. Obtaining child support is important for many reasons, which is why the Child Support Enforcement Agency was created. Although this agency was established by the federal government, each state is required to have its separate unit to administer a child support program.

  When it comes to divorce, child custody issues are usually emotional and sometimes become contentious. Unfortunately, this can mean that parent...

January is the time to make resolutions for the New Year. But as anyone with a health club membership can tell you, most people give up these resolutions by mid-February.

When it comes to your children, however, it’s important to resolutions that last. Newly divorced parents can and should learn from the mistakes of others.

The resolutions below will help you avoid these mistakes and create situations that will help instead of hurt your children. 

Ohio Divorce Lawyer Explains How Divorce Cases Work VIDEO: 3 Labels That Define The Relationship Worried about how much it will cost to settle your ca...

A CNN Money article reported that as of 2009, over $100 billion was owed in unpaid child support payments. For lower-income mothers receiving child support, the child support payments accounted for almost one-half of their total income.

When payments are not made by the other parent, mothers have no choice but to seek public assistance for themselves and their children. The problem has continued to grow as more parents never marry, separate or divorce and the need for child support increases.

Shared Parenting in Ohio

Child custody and visitation are two of the most difficult issues in a divorce proceeding. While the parents appear to be the focus of a custody battle because they are the parties that are being heard, the real focus in any custody battle is the child.

As with most states, Ohio courts focus on what is in the best interest of the child when deciding custody disputes. A child who is caught in the middle of a nasty custody battle is heartbreaking for all parties but especially for the child.

Therefore, Ohio laws are written to protect the child's best interest first and foremost. In most situations, it is in the best interest of the child to have both parents play an active role in the child's upbringing. When both parties enjoy the rewards and responsibilities of being a parent, it benefits the child.

To that end, Ohio custody laws encourage parents to work together to formulate a custody arrangement that benefits everyone in the family.

Ohio divorce lawyer Jack Carney-DeBord describes a case where he represented a single mother who had been threatened by the state about custody of her kids. Find out what happened...

You'll love the ending of this story.

Do you need more child support? Do you suspect that your spouse may be hiding money from you? Can you increase your child support?

Jack is an Ohio family law attorney. In this video, he explains how to use a subpoena to increase child support payments.

VIDEO: Subpoena Power to Increase Child Support

Many divorce cases involve children. If you are getting a divorce and have children, you should know what local rule visitation is. Ohio Family Law Attorney Jack Carney-DeBord defines local rule visitation in this short video.

VIDEO: What is Local Rule Visitation?