Help Your Kids Achieve More This Year WITH SIMPLE AND ACTIONABLE GOALS
With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’ New Year’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals. You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on New Year’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gym membership, do you actually try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to New Year’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH.
own commitments, you can help them stay on track too.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND ACHIEVABLE.
When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like “I want to be more kind” or “I will try to help more around the house” incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolution might be for them to clean their room once a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day.
responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate. When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.
DON’T DO ALL THE WORK FOR THEM.
While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If they’re ultimately
2 LAWS TO BE AWARE OF MILITARY DIVORCE 101 What happens when military personnel need to get a divorce? Typically, the military immediately be concerned about issues of child custody or asset division.
views divorce as a civil matter similar to any other divorce. However, because military divorce has the potential to be especially complicated, divorcing members of the military are granted protections by federal laws. Here are two primary examples.
The Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) addresses the continuing eligibility for commissary, exchange, and health care benefits. The USFSPA law allows a state to treat retired military pay as a marital asset, which may be divided in a divorce action. That said, the act does not guarantee that an ex-spouse will receive an allocation of that pay. In addition, the USFSPA allows a separated spouse continued access to commissary, exchange, and health care benefits after the divorce in certain circumstances. Our attorneys have handled many military divorce cases, so you can be rest assured that when you need us, we will be here. If you have questions or concerns, give us a call at 757-509-7832 to set up your “No Hassle Legal Strategy Meeting” where we will answer all of your questions.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) allows a defendant who is on active duty in the military to request a stay or delay of the proceedings for up to 90 days. This gives the individual time to return home from active duty. If you meet all of the requirements under the act, you may be automatically granted the stay. In order to achieve the stay in the civil proceedings, the defendant must show that there is a defense to the action and that the defense cannot be presented without the presence of the service member. SCRA is particularly beneficial to people on active duty and protects you in the event of a divorce so you don’t have to
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