Create Meaningful Holiday Memories With Your Kids Festive national holidays offer a great opportunity to strengthen family ties and traditions. While most people regard the end-of-year holidays as prime time for family get-togethers, you can make great memories in any season — including the Fourth of July! To foster traditions your loved ones will enjoy, start when your children are young. Repeat your chosen rituals year after year, but stay flexible enough to update them to suit your kids’ developmental stages. EMPHASIZE LIVE ACTION Activities that immerse your children in sights, sounds, smells, and live action can be the most memorable. Community Fourth of July parades offer a great opportunity to socialize with neighbors and friends of all ages. To make memories, don’t just watch the parade — encourage your kids to join it! Midsummer is a great time to participate in light-hearted three-legged races, an egg toss, and sack races. As kids age, consider holding a Fourth of July Family Bowl for an annual game of soccer, softball, or touch football. At day’s end, fireworks offer a chance to gather in a lawn chair or on a blanket in the grass and enjoy some favorite snacks. CAPITALIZE ON FAMILY FOIBLES Think about traditions that evoke some quirk or twist unique to your family. If your kids love water balloons, a red, white, and blue water balloon fight can leave them laughing. Your family’s favorite films about patriotism or national identity may include fantasy tales, such as the animated 1986 immigrants’ story “An American Tail,” or darker stories, such as “Born on the Fourth of July,” the 1989 film on a Vietnam vet’s struggles after the war. Whatever your preference, watching a beloved movie together as a family can reinforce shared values. For maximum fun, ban cellphones and make lots of popcorn. MAKE IT MATTER Decorating your house and yard with flags, red-white-and-blue bunting, and patriotic pinwheels can help children get into the spirit. To create a tangible memoir, take photos of the fun and print them for an album or deposit them in a “Fourth of July Memory Jar.” When you pull them out next year, those images will spark plenty of laughs! TRADITIONS START HERE
How Texas Law Protects You From Unfair Insurance Tactics A GUIDE FOR TEXAS POLICYHOLDERS When disaster strikes, most people turn to their insurance policies for help. Whether it’s damage to your home, a car accident, or a denied health benefit, you file a claim with a first-party insurance policy to seek compensation directly from your insurer. Unfortunately, even though you’ve paid your premiums on time, some insurance companies don’t Texas insurance companies have a legal duty called the “duty of good faith and fair dealing.” This means they must treat your claim honestly and fairly. When they don’t, whether it’s by delaying payment, denying coverage without a valid reason, or refusing to investigate properly, it’s considered “bad faith.” And when that happens, you have legal rights. This duty exists because of the relationship between you and your insurer. They have more power in the situation, and the law protects policyholders from being taken advantage of. KNOWING YOUR POLICY MATTERS Your insurance policy is more than paperwork; it’s a contract. It outlines what’s covered, what’s not ( called exclusions ), and what both you and your insurer must do after a loss ( called conditions ). Understanding these details can help protect your rights, especially if your claim is rejected or underpaid. APPRAISAL ISN’T THE END The appraisal process determines how much a loss is worth, not who’s liable or the scope of loss. Just because your insurer pays that appraisal amount doesn’t mean the story’s over. If they delay payment or mishandle your claim, you may still be entitled to interest. A recent Texas Supreme Court case ( Rodriguez v. Safeco Ins. Co. of Ind. ) has complicated this area, but your rights may still stand, primarily hold up their end of the bargain. THE PROMISE OF GOOD FAITH
if the insurer didn’t act promptly or fairly. YOU DON’T HAVE TO FACE THIS ALONE
Insurance law is complex, but you don’t have to navigate it by yourself. If an insurance company has denied, delayed, or underpaid your claim, it’s worth speaking to an attorney who understands the system and will fight to ensure your insurance company plays fair. Contact our experts at Brasher Law Firm to help you recover what you rightfully deserve.
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