Family Relationships

Help with genealogy research. The maternal lines of your ancestry may be difficult to research, but there are ways to uncover these branches in your family tree. Advice on how to overcome "brick walls" in your family tree related to missing maiden names.

High conflict ex-wives frequently use the children as weapons by withholding visitation. This article outlines what you can do when it happens to you.

Whether your dad was absent from your life physically or emotionally, you suffered because of it. The last thing you want now as an adult is to let his rejection define who you are and limit your potential. Find out five ways to prevent this from happening.

Here's how to connect your DNA to your family tree on Ancestry.com so you can learn how you're related to your DNA relatives and unlock more about your heritage.

I experienced helping my sister get out of Scientology when she asked for help. If you lost a family member to a religious cult, this personal story offers some clues and a way to start the process.

The main issue in most Christian families is the neglect of Bible principles. This article encourages Christians to alleviate problems and improve happiness in four basic areas, including awareness.

The silent treatment and other weapons in your toxic mother-in-law's arsenal.

In a day and age when mother and daughters-in-law seem to always be at odds, hope towards peace and reconciliation can still be found, as long as both parties seek compassion, kindness, and understanding. If you are a MIL, consider changing your tactics, as well as remembering how you felt as a DIL.

Every day, hundreds of family ties are severed for one reason or another. How does one come to grips with such an outcome, yet live a happy, peaceful life, when old-school thinking, judgment, and societal expectations destroy a seemingly strong family bond?

Children have the right to see both parents, even in high-conflict custody situations. This article will explain why a specific court is necessary and give examples of language that can be used.

Will a subscription to Newspapers.com give you valuable information for your family history research? Here are examples of how it helped me, and why I recommend it.

When his ex-wife or girlfriend is toxic and high-conflict, your relationship can face many challenges. This article is a guide for any woman or stepmom who wishes to reduce the conflict in her life.

What do parents do when their child goes through a divorce? What about the grandchildren, if there are any? What is the role of the parent or grandparent in the changing family landscape?

While bitching and moaning about our dysfunctional families can feel good and cathartic, it takes more to heal our pain and change our future. When I recognized my lineage of emotionally absent mothers, it empowered me to become an involved and empathetic parent to my two sons.

Daughters of absent fathers (whether through death, divorce, or emotional neglect) often make the same mistakes, causing themselves immense anguish. By ignoring their anger, not being vulnerable, and blaming themselves, they can't move beyond their victimhood.

Since August 2016, I have been building a family tree and trying to identify my ancestors who originated in Europe. Based on successes and failures, I suggest a number of tips for doing genealogy research.