Denver Colorado Family Law Blog

Divorce is a challenging and emotional prospect, especially if there are children involved. If there is a lot of animosity between you and your ex, the thought of co-parenting might be overwhelming. When the relationship between ex-spouses is amicable, co-parenting works. However, if there is high conflict between the two of you, parallel parenting is a better option.

Parallel parenting allows both parents to be involved in the lives of their children but disengage from each other. It is a way for exes with a high degree of animosity to still effectively parent and put their children first, but limit direct communication with each other. Eliminating direct communication helps break the pattern of ineffective and damaging communication and shields you and your kids from conflict.

Gambling in of itself is not a bad practice. It can be an economic engine in a community, a form of entertainment, and a Yale University study has even found it to be stimulating to seniors. However, like so many activities, an interest in doing something can shift to become a compulsive obsession. This can lead to financial difficulty and duress upon other aspects of one’s life like marriage, career and future aspirations.

Compulsive gambling is not a physical addiction the way opioids or alcohol is, but it nonetheless is an addiction. Numbers vary, but is estimated that 2.6 percent of the U.S. population (or about 10 million people) struggles with gambling issues. Not surprisingly, statistics show that an estimated 65 percent of marriages with at least one gambling addict end in divorce. More than 85 percent of marriages with at least one gambling face threats from bill collectors and creditors.

The needs of families are as unique as the circumstances and individuals involved. Nonetheless, parenting arrangements generally fall into the format of shuttling kids between the parents’ homes. Some parents favor keeping the kids in one home during the school week and the other on weekends. Another plan splits up the time in blocks of days. Those parents who live in different states may have the kids on certain alternating holidays and summers.

One plan that has gotten a lot of attention recently is the concept of nesting or bird nesting. Instead of the children moving, the premise of nesting is to keep the kids in the family home while the parents rotate in and out at prearranged times. The parents may even share a second residence they stay in when not on parent duty.

Living with a spouse who is battling addiction can be heartbreaking. The disease may rob them of reason, compassion and relationships with loved ones, including children. This one time soul mate is now someone who cannot be trusted to go buy groceries, pick up the kids or help support the family.

According to a recent survey on drug use and health, 24.6 million Americans are involved in a marriage where one spouse has substance abuse issues. Living with someone who is fighting alcoholism, drug addiction or some other form of addiction can leave a spouse feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and conflicted. The marriage is supposed to be until death do us part, yet a spouse's destructive tendencies are a danger to the family and themselves.