by hussainlaw | Apr 30, 2021 | Uncategorised
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us greatly in many different ways. For those going through divorce, this time may be increasingly overwhelming as feelings of confusion arise. You may be faced with many questions surrounding doing what’s best for you and your child. As more and more Canadians get vaccinated, many are wondering what happens when their ex-spouse doesn’t want to vaccinate the kids, but do. In this blog, we will be going over how to succeed at co-parenting through COVID vaccine disagreements. Focusing on how to effectively communicate your opinions and what factors play into the court’s decisions will help you understand what steps you need to take next.
1. Reflect On the Reality of the Situation
You’ll want to start by taking time to remember that everyones opinions come from different perspectives. When it comes to topics such as human rights, safety issues and political ideals people naturally get emotional when defending their opinions. Our thoughts regarding intense topics may stem from past experiences, upbringing, religious views and many other factors.
This is not the time to question the validity of your ex’s opinions. This is the time get your point across respectfully so that you give your ex a chance to do so as well. The following steps will help you learn how to better your co-parenting skills even through COVID vaccine disagreements.
2. Learn Effective Communication Skills
If you’ve gone through counselling you’re probably aware of how urgently important it is to learn proper communication skills. When we are faced with sadness, fear, confusion and a lack of control our emotional state suffers greatly. As a result, an individual going through divorce is vulnerable and may have a more difficult time properly communicating. When tensions are high your ability to remain respectful while communicating may make all the difference. It is not often that all of your needs will be met during a divorce process. Finding a middle ground may be necessary for the betterment of you and your child.
Things To Remember:
- Be respectful and stay calm
- Making an effort to understand your ex’s opinion shows them that you can be reasonable
- Consider acceptance
3. Have A Conversation
When having a conversation with your ex-spouse about your opinions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll want to do so without your child present. This is an opportunity for you and your ex to try and understand each others points of view and improve your co-parenting through vaccine disagreements.
During your conversation make sure to:
- Underline the importance of you both keeping the best interests of the child in mind
- Remember that it is both your responsibility as parents to make a decision for your child
- Keep in mind that this topic is not one that should be put aside for later. Making a decision too late could greatly affect the child.
- Consider legal help or counselling if an agreement cannot be made.
4. Be Responsible
Most disputes regarding the COIVD vaccine come down to distrust with medical and scientific data. Before going to court you’ll want to remember that judges will not be engaging in discussions surrounding the controversies. The New Canadian Divorce Act pushes for the best interests of the child and prioritizes their needs first.
When going to court make sure to:
- Remember that the judge does not want to make a decision for you.
- Being responsible is in your best favour
- Understand that a judge’s personal perspective may affect the decision made if you nor your ex-spouse can come to an agreement
At Hussain Law we focus on helping our clients navigate the emotional and financial challenges of separation and divorce. Our office remains fully operational, and we have implemented various new procedures that allow us to continue to advise clients seamlessly during this time. If you have a family law issue that you need assistance with, please contact Ayesha Hussain at 647-428-3919.
by hussainlaw | Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorised
As we can all agree, divorce is undoubtedly difficult for everyone involved. Understanding the needs of your child during and after the process is very important when parenting. As you consider how you can take on better parenting methods during divorce, you must keep in mind that a child’s experience will differ depending on the situation. Specifically, their age and personality are large factors in how they will react during the process. The details of your personal situation will also be important to keep in mind when figuring out how you can be there for your child.
With the brand new changes to the Divorce Act, courts now prioritize the needs of the child and understand that their wellbeing relies on the relationships they have with their loved ones. Here are 3 tips on how you can practice better parenting throughout divorce:
Celebrate Communication
Fostering an environment where communication is celebrated can have a lot of positive benefits for you and your child’s relationship. It is natural for your child to cope with the situation through their own process of grieving. During this time make an effort to understand all of their emotions. You may already be recognizing their sadness and confusion, but their stress may also look like anger, discomfort and distrust. Trying to understand their perspective can help you guide them towards trust and acceptance.
Here are some ways you can begin positive communication:
- Ask your child questions about how new changes make them feel
- Let your child ask you questions when they are confused
- Be open with your child so that they find comfort in sharing with you
- Have conversations about boundaries
- Learn how you can reduce your child’s anxiety and make it known that you are there for them
Stay Consistent
Managing your child’s transition between multiple homes can be difficult. Differing parenting styles begin to affect a child after they experience varying amounts of freedom in two different spaces. It is not your job to enforce rules into the home of your ex-spouse, but rather to remain consistent in the ways that you parent at yours.
Here are some ways you can stay consistent while parenting during divorce:
- Establish routines so that your home becomes a place of comfort rather than unpredictability
- Establish rules clearly so that when your ex-spouse allows something you don’t, your child knows not to expect the same from you
- Accept that building trust and balance takes time after divorce and that staying consistent is an effective method to achieving those things
Don’t Make Your Child Pick Sides
Putting your child in the position where they feel in the middle during and after the divorce is harmful to their trusting abilities. Unresolved conflicts may continue between you and your ex-spouse even after divorce. It is important not to talk to your child about your ex in a way that might impact them to take sides. Your child needs to feel that they are being respected by you. Respect comes with giving them the freedom to form a relationship with their other parent on their own terms.
Here are some ways you can remain neutral:
- Try not to ask your child to give you information about your ex’s life
- Avoid criticizing your ex’s parenting choices in front of your child
- Don’t use your child as a telephone to get through to your ex
At Hussain Law we focus on helping our clients navigate the emotional and financial challenges of separation and divorce. Our office remains fully operational, and we have implemented various new procedures that allow us to continue to advise clients seamlessly during this time. If you have a family law issue that you need assistance with, please contact Ayesha Hussain at 647-428-3919.
by hussainlaw | Apr 15, 2021 | Uncategorised
Updates have been made to the Federal family laws for the first time in over 20 years. Changes to the Divorce Act in an effort to make the system more efficient, prioritize the best interests of the child, and reduce child poverty. The new laws may alter your divorce process by affecting things such as your parenting arrangements and specific parental duties. Find out how the new Divorce Act could affect your situation and how it strives for the wellbeing of your family with this brief overview.
Prioritizing The Needs Of The Child
The amendments list specific factors that a court must consider when determining the best interests of a child in their specific situation. These include:
- the wellbeing and safety of their physical, emotional and psychological health.
- their relationships with those important in their life (such as parents, grandparents and other important figures).
- upbringing and their specific cultural heritage, and preferences and their views on the given situation.
In an effort to recognize the fact that every family situation and child differs, courts now require consideration of the child’s best interest before ordering parenting time to each parent. The new laws also attempt to strengthen the possibility of strong co-parenting relationships forming.
Changes In Terminology
The wording to describe parental duties and arrangements has also undergone changes to make the law more child-focused. When discussing orders for custody and access the new act now uses “parenting orders” to emphasize the need for specific parenting tasks. Terms such as “decision-making responsibilities” and “parenting time” are also being used to promote neutral wording in an effort to rid “winner” and “loser” ideologies.
Addressing Family Violence
The new changes to the Divorce Act now address family violence making it mandatory for courts to take its seriousness into account. New factors to the Divorce Act help courts assess parental situations and further determine the best interests of the child.
Reducing Poverty
In an effort to reduce child poverty that often comes with the hardships of divorce, the new Divorce Act includes measures to strongly enforce child support. These new measures attempt to make the family justice system more accessible and efficient. The efforts aim to make the process easier for families financially, in some cases reducing the need to go to court altogether, as affording a lawyer can be a difficult process.
Accessibility, efficiency and affordability in the family justice system are just some of the ways that the new updates to the Divorce Act can better serve families going through a divorce in Canada. The prioritization of the needs and preferences of children creates more positive outcomes and strengthens families coming out of the process.
At Hussain Law, we focus on helping our clients navigate the emotional and financial challenges of separation and divorce. Our office remains fully operational, and we have various new procedures that allow us to continue to advise clients seamlessly during this time. If you have a family law issue that you need assistance with, please contact Ayesha Hussain at 647-428-3919.
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