Peoria Family Law Blog

Protecting one's personal interest is important throughout every stage of life. However, this is often overlooked when heading into marriage. While it is admirable that many couples feel strong and secure in their relationships when saying "I do," it does not erase the fact that many divorcees started out in happy marriages. This is why Illinois couples may benefit by considering how prenuptial agreements can protect their property interests.

When one person brings considerable wealth into his or her relationship -- particularly if he or she comes from a wealthy family -- a prenuptial agreement may be appropriate. It is often more than just a person's inheritance that is on the line. For example, a family business that generates wealth could be at risk during a divorce, because a soon-to-be ex-spouse could possibly go after some of those assets in property division.

During divorce, parents must think of both their own needs as well as those of their children. Each family will have their own unique needs, but there is usually one common thread that generally weaves through everything -- that children have two loving, involved parents. Child custody agreements might more readily meet this need for older children, but many courts in Illinois overlook just how important it is for younger children.

For decades, the prevailing standard was for children younger than six to almost always sleep at their mothers' homes. Most people believed that sleeping at two different homes throughout the week would be too difficult for a toddler or an infant. Instead, only allowing moms to have overnight custody can actually hurt children's abilities to form secure, lifelong bonds with parents.

Raising a child is expensive, and divorce certainly does not make it any cheaper. Child support is one way to make sure that both parents keep providing important financial stability regardless of what else is going on in life. Here is how Illinois family law deals with child support.

Both parents' incomes factor into child support payments, not just the parent who is paying. It is about a lot more than just who earns what, though. A judge will consider a parent's net pay, meaning everything that he or she takes home after taxes and other financial obligations, including money used for child support for other kids. Net income also includes any types of benefits from assistance programs.

Societal expectations have changed quite a bit over a relatively short period of time, especially when it comes to family and parenting. Fathers in Illinois now play much larger roles in their children's lives than their own fathers did. This shift has also nudged more and more families toward joint child custody, with each parent taking on 50% of parenting time. Unfortunately, some experts believe that shared custody, social media and even mistruths are causing conflict between divorcing parents.

Social media has become a place for airing grievances, venting and sharing a little too much information. While this might be the new norm for a lot of people, parents who are going through a divorce should avoid posting about their ex-spouses as much as possible. This is partly because kids today are pretty tech savvy and can easily access that information. The non-profit organization Kids In the Middle recently reported seeing a big increase in how many families they are helping through high-conflict transitions, and social media is just one of the reasons why.