Ask Carolyn
Published on:
Happiness
By: Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVA
Published on:
Carolyn’s Healthy Egg White Omelet
By: Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVA
Published on:
The Day the Handshake Died
By: Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVA
In the year 2020, creatures run rampant
Sounds of warfare without guns
Hands contagious
Published on:
Carolyn’s Decadent Chocolate Surprise Brownies
I love chocolate, and COVID-19 has not changed my chocolate fetish. But, it has given me more time to cook, out of both necessity and a need for a creative outlet. Plus, no restaurants are open, so here I am in my kitchen. Being healthy is a goal, and I look for organic solutions without flour, which is not good for me. I also do not add salt to anything, and I recommend you not add salt either. I also do not add sugar, including stevia. My husband loves these brownies. Continue reading
Published on:
The Seven Nights of Santa travels to Lithuania
Venn Crawford
The Seven Nights of Santa traveled to Lithuania for the first time this July, thanks to our friend Andrew Mastecas’s excellent work in translating the book.
My husband Dwight Ensley and I first published The Seven Nights of Santa in 2013. In my work as a family law attorney, I see a lot of divorces involving children. Holidays such as Christmas are often difficult for such families – there are disagreements over how to celebrate or which house the kids open gifts in. Additionally, media images of “traditional” families don’t represent the experiences of children of divorce. These experiences are what inspired The Seven Nights of Santa, which shows how Christmas can be magical for families of all shapes and sizes.
We give away copies of the book to clients going through a divorce, but their children aren’t the only ones who need this message. That’s why we teamed up with Andrew Mastecas, a 9th grader from New York City, who translated the book into Lithuanian and donated the copies to orphanages in the country.
Published on:
Ask Carolyn: August 2, 2018
Carolyn Woodruff
Dear Readers, today we have another Lolita story, and unfortunately, this kind of story is more common than you might think. The second question concerns an aging parent, who is perhaps incompetent.
Dear Carolyn,
I am in a book club with a group of women. One of the women in the book club has a 13-year-old daughter, and she asked me to write to you about this situation with her daughter. The daughter and mother do not live in Guilford County. The 13-year-old daughter has an uncle, the brother of the father of the 13-year-old. Unbeknownst to the mother, this uncle was apparently grooming the 13-year-old for a sexual relationship. There apparently were a couple of encounters of oral sex and breast fondling, as disgusting as that is.
Published on:
Presenting Drug Paraphernalia as Evidence in a Custody Trial
Carolyn Woodruff
Dear Carolyn,
I read an article about a man who took marijuana to the courtroom in Greensboro. My ex-spouse smokes marijuana, and we are getting ready for a custody trial over our three-year-old. After my ex moved out, I found some drug paraphernalia the ex left behind in my home. I found a ceramic pipe, and I know what my ex used this for. I have never used drugs, and this is one of the reasons we broke up. I want to use this as evidence in my custody trial, but now I am afraid to take the evidence to court to show the judge. What should I do? The judge needs to see the evidence I have. I do not have an attorney, at least not yet. I don’t want to end up like Mr. Hussain, in jail.
Concerned
Published on:
Thoughts on Teaching Children Sign Language
Carolyn Woodruff
Dear Carolyn,
I am a grandmother with an adorable sixteen-month-old grandson. He has recently started a preschool while his parents work. He is learning sign language, which I think is like deaf people learn and use. I don’t remember learning about this when my children were babies. What do you think about this?
– Interested in Sign Language
Published on:
Ask Carolyn: July 19, 2018
Carolyn Woodruff
Dear Readers, two of you submitted very exciting questions in frequently misunderstood areas in the nuances of family law. Question one deals with custody as part of a Chapter 50B domestic violence protective order. The second question deals with cohabitation when you are the recipient of alimony under an order or agreement.
Dear Carolyn,
My 50B expired one year ago. It included custody of my then 2-year-old. After a period of time does that custody order become permanent if not contested by her father?
Published on:
Ask Carolyn: July 5, 2018
Carolyn Woodruff
Today’s Ask Carolyn addresses the marriage of minor children in the United States and a domestic violence situation involving parents who won’t allow their 20-year-old to move out.
Dear Carolyn,
I am concerned about an article I recently read concerning underage girls as young as 12 and 13 years old marrying older males in South Carolina. To me, this is sexual abuse. The article said that nearly 7,000 underage girls – some as young as 12 and 13 – have married in South Carolina in the past 20 years.