Recent family-related news included a look at a Wisconsin court case involving a judge and a litigant becoming Facebook friends, a new domestic violence database in China for use by people intending to marry, the challenging circumstances of grandparents raising grandchildren in the age of COVID-19, the importance of healthy co-parenting during this pandemic and an exploration of what it takes to have a happy marriage with a narcissist.
Judge’s Facebook Friendship Upends Wisconsin Custody Case Scott Bauer, Associated Press, June 16, 2020 A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a judge’s decision to become Facebook friends with a woman whose child custody case he was hearing created at least the appearance of bias…It ordered that the custody case proceed with a different judge.
For Those Getting Married, a Searchable Domestic Violence Database Sue Lee-Wei, The New York Times, June 25, 2020 A Chinese city is rolling out the database to allow people to check if their partners have a history of abuse…the database would include people charged with domestic violence against their partners, older people and siblings… Domestic violence has been exacerbated by lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic…
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Under Lockdown: When The Protectors Are The Most Vulnerable Melissa Bailey, Huffpost, June 27, 2020 ….Roughly 2.4 million grandparents in the U.S. are responsible for raising their grandchildren; their numbers highest in states hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Now, as the coronavirus shutters schools and forces the nation into quarantine, these grandparents are shouldering extra duties feeding, caring for and educating their grandkids at a time when they themselves are especially vulnerable due to advanced age…
COVID Contracts: Control Over The Other Parent Or Best Interests? Patricia Fersch, Forbes, June 30, 2020 The author writes: “ … Best interests during this pandemic is not just practicing social distancing, wearing face masks and frequent hand washing, it includes protecting the emotional life of the children. Controlling… the other parent’s behavior is not in their…children’s best interest. Trusting the other parent to do the right thing without a contract, is….”
Can a Narcissist Have a Happy Marriage? Elinor Greenberg, Ph.D, Psychology Today, July 2, 2020 The author shares: “…I do not believe that it is possible for narcissists to have what most people would call a normal or happy marriage. The relationships that do manage to survive do so mainly because the non-narcissistic mate has high self-esteem, resources that the narcissist values, a good reason for staying, the ability to maintain boundaries, and is very adaptable and easy going.”