Dads
How
To Be a Super Dad
Here's How:
1. Get over
yourself: life no longer revolves around your needs. The quicker
you come to terms with this irreversible fact, the happier you’ll
be.
2. Be alert
to what’s going on. Men tend to be self-centered and don’t
notice the needs of others, especially in new surroundings. Look
around and find actions you can take to create harmony.
3. Become
a willing porter. Fatherhood is about love and support, but more
often it’s about moving stuff around. In any outing you’ll
need to set up/move the portable crib, car seat, diaper bag, toys,
etc.
4. Patience,
patience, patience. If I could wish for booster shot of anything
it would be an extra dose of patience. In general, we’re
much more tolerant with our co-workers than with our families.
Tweak your snapping point way down.
5. Learn to
play. As a society we are focused on rules, order, routine, and
the serious business of running a house. Taking the time to have
simple fun everyday is a must for a balanced family life. It should
be as natural as brushing your teeth.
6. Be flexible.
The days of plans and order in your life are over. Welcome to
the world of controlled chaos. The good news is that stretching
your spontaneous muscles keeps you young and mentally supple.
7. Parents
rule! You and your wife run the house, not your kids. Make sure
that you both have agreement on the key issues, and stick to them.
You must always support your wife in her dealings with the kids.
8. Listen
hard. It’s not so much what they say, but how they say it
and what they leave out. Having a good communication network in
the house is the fabric of happiness. Lay the foundation for people
small and large to speak their minds.
9. Be honest.
If you're weaving the fabric of your family’s life, make
sure you thread in honesty. Kids learn that virtue by example.
Tell it like it is and teach your kids to accept the truth, however
unpalatable.
10. Keep’em
healthy. It’s part of your responsibility to keep your family
healthy and fit. Insist on a good diet and create the foundation
to support it. Encourage physical, adventurous activities; turn
off the TV and get out!
11. Bring
the community into your home. Running a family is a very self-absorbing
activity; don’t forget your friends, family, and community.
They all play a huge role in your children’s development.
Create a friendly home and invite them in.
1. Look beyond yourself.
2. Listen and be patient.
3. Don’t be so serious.
4. Bring the community into your home.
What You Need to Know About Child Support
Child support is an emotional subject.
Parents who are supposed to receive it on behalf of their children
often do not. Parents who are supposed to pay it often cannot,
or choose not to for a variety of reasons that are not legally
recognized. It is the children who suffer the most when child
support levels are inadequate or obligations are not met. Therefore,
the trend in all states is to increase child support levels and
the ways child support obligations can be enforced.
1. Biological parents and adoptive parents must support their
children until:
* the children reach the age of majority (and
sometimes longer if the children have special needs)
* the children go on active military duty, or
* the parents' rights and responsibilities are terminated (such
as when a child is adopted).
Parents are not required to support children who
have been declared emancipated by a court. Emancipation can occur
when a minor has demonstrated freedom from parental control or
support and an ability to be self-supporting.
2. How are child support obligations affected
by a divorce?
When one parent is awarded sole custody in a divorce,
the other parent typically is required to fulfill his or her child
support obligation by making payments to the custodial parent.
The custodial parent, however, meets his or her support obligation
through the custody itself. When parents are awarded joint physical
custody in a divorce, the support obligation of each is often
based on the ratio of each parent's income to their combined incomes,
and the percentage of time the child spends with each parent.
3. Are fathers who never married the mother
still required to pay child support?
The short answer to this question is yes. When
a mother is not married, however, it's not always clear who the
father is. An "acknowledged father" is any biological
father of a child born to unmarried parents for whom paternity
has been established by either the admission of the father or
the agreement of the parents. Acknowledged fathers are required
to pay child support. Additionally, a man who never married may
be presumed to be the father of a child if he welcomes the child
into his home and openly holds the child out as his own. In some
states, the presumption of paternity is considered conclusive,
which means it cannot be disproved, even with contradictory blood
tests.
4. Do unmarried fathers have to pay child
support even if none has been ordered by a court?
Yes. The obligation to pay child support does
not depend on marriage or a court order. Where most unmarried
fathers encounter this principle is when the mother seeks public
assistance. Sooner or later the welfare department will pursue
the father for reimbursement based on his support obligation.
Sometimes this happens many years later, and the father is required
to pay thousands of dollars in back support that he never knew
he owed because there was no court order.
5. Is a stepfather obligated to support
the children of the woman to whom he is married?
No, unless he legally adopts the children.
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