Glen Burnie Family Law And Criminal Defense Blog

If you've been ordered to have an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in your car, you're not alone. Here in Maryland, Noah's Law mandates an IID for anyone convicted of a DUI or DWI offense.

There's no question that IIDs have stopped people from driving drunk and have saved lives. However, they can be an inconvenience for those who are required to use them -- and for other drivers who use their vehicle. So, what happens if you're required to have an IID, but your spouse and/or teens also use that car? Maybe you share it with a roommate, or your nanny uses it to drive the kids to and from school or activities.

Let's be honest: Co-parenting can be hard. You and your ex still have to raise your kids. You both have a right to see them. You have to work together to do this. You can end your marriage, but you can never stop being parents.

To help you approach it, here are a few things you do not want to do:

• Do not give the kids their way just because you feel guilty. Many parents spoil their kids after divorce, and it can lead to all sorts of behavioral problems.
• Do not attempt to work against your ex just because you don't like each other. Do not undermine their rules or work to turn the kids against your ex.
• Do not try to become the fun parent that they love more. It's tempting, but it causes issues for the kids and makes that relationship harder in the long run. Have fun with the kids, of course, but don't try to outdo your ex by buying more presents or ignoring the rules.
• Never get angry with your ex in front of your kids. Keep your emotions in check. If you have questions or concerns, sit down and have a discussion to get to the bottom of it. Do not start it as an argument when it may not need to be one.

If your visitations with your children are required to be supervised, you likely feel a good deal of pressure to make them go well so that you can eventually be granted unsupervised visitation rights and eventually even shared custody. You may be allowed to have the visits in your home with another adult (a family member or perhaps a social worker or therapist) present. You may have to go to a designated facility where other parents and children are spending time together.

Whatever the situation, it's easy to let the pressure overwhelm you. However, it's important to relax as much as possible and enjoy this time with your kids. It's even more important for your kids to feel comfortable and have fun. Following are a few tips:

A Maryland woman who police say was fatally shot by her husband had filed and then requested dismissal of a protective order against him more than a year ago. Baltimore County police officers found the 51-year-old man outside of the woman's Dundalk home on the evening of March 5 holding a revolver. After dropping the gun, he told them, "She's dead in the back room." Police found her in a bedroom, shot in the head.

In Oct. 2017, the 47-year-old woman sought and received a protective order against her husband after he reportedly got into a physical altercation with someone else in the family. She stated in the court documents she filed, "There is a shotgun in the house and [he] is unstable, verbally threatening and physically threatening," She also said that he had put spyware on her phone and installed cameras in her home that no one else could access. She said, "We are watched at all times."