Rockville, Maryland, Family Law Blog

There's a question that some parents have when they're trying to find out if a man is a father of a child. They want to know if the paternity test could ever be wrong.

Realistically, it's unlikely for these tests to be wrong, but that doesn't mean that inaccuracies don't happen. Sometimes, fraud gets in the way of accuracy. Other times, it's a person's bloodline that muddies the test results.

Alimony is a payment made from one ex-spouse to another following a divorce. How much you will or will not get out of alimony can be decided in a few ways, but what's interesting is that gender does not play a role.

While in the past it was typically men who paid alimony, that's not always the case today. In fact, more and more women are becoming the breadwinners in their households, which means that an increased number of moms and women are paying child support and alimony. According to a survey from 2018, around 45% of attorneys admitted to seeing more mothers paying alimony. Another 54% saw an increase in the number of mothers paying child support.

Alimony can be an important payment for some people. For example, women who stayed home to raise their children may have taken less time on their careers and need alimony to help support them as they go back to school or focus on moving forward and upward at work.

Alimony, which is also known as spousal support, provides a base payment monthly or on another schedule that you decide with your ex-spouse. Many people choose lump-sum alimony, which is a one-off payment because they are able to avoid the continued connection that monthly or bi-weekly alimony would require.

It's understandable that you want to have active, healthy relationships with your children. Each one is unique and, like most Maryland parents can attest, you've likely already encountered challenges in your parenting journey. Family life is definitely something that can be joyful one day and a tremendous struggle the next, depending on the ages of your children and other issues, such as what happens to be going on in your marriage. If you have decided to file for divorce, you might be a bit anxious about telling your kids.

The good news is that children are generally resilient and adaptable by nature. Divorce certainly disrupts and changes their lives; however, it doesn't necessarily have to ruin them. By knowing what to say or not say and by building a strong support network from the start, you and your children can work together to come to terms with your current situation and transition into a new lifestyle.