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Parenting Class

David Siegel: What if there's minor children involved? What is this requirement of a parenting class?

Jesse Barrientes: All of the counties require that the parents take a parenting course, and there's a cost for that as well. You have to do a parenting certificate. I know there's one judge in Will County, and it's very serious. You have to take it by a certain time. It's actually in the order. If the person doesn't do that, he has, and has said, he's going to enter a rule to show cause basically for them not following that order, for not complying with it, because it's a serious thing. Kids are going through a traumatic stress event here too, and it's important for the parents to be able to learn kind of what to do, and what not to do. Whether they take it to heart and they listen is another matter.

David Siegel: This parenting class, by the way, is a state law requirement that went in to affect about a year ago. There's one county in particular that's really not enforcing this requirement, which I'm okay with because I believe in an agreed upon, stipulated case, even if there's minor children, I don't believe the folks have to take a parenting class, or should be required, rather, to take a parenting class, when everything is agreed upon, and they're coming to court and submitting those documents. It's different if you're in a long, protracted case, or custody's in dispute, and you've got litigation involving support and visitation, and temporary order, as opposed to a case where the documents are prepared, they're signed, they're requiring one court date about 5 to 10 minutes in front of a judge for approval. Why do those Chicago folks, Jesse, have to take a parenting class, or why should they be required to under the law?

Jesse Barrientes: Well Dave, the rules are what they are, and they either have to apply to everybody or nobody, and under this scenario too, if I were a child psychologist, if I wrote a book on parenting, or I had a show on parenting, I'd still have to take the class because that's what the rule is.

David Siegel: I think it's poorly drafted because they could have put in something where it said if there are no issues in dispute, and the parties are proceeding in an uncontested nature, they don't need to take a parenting class, as opposed to a real custody battle where a parenting class is probably more in order.

Jesse Barrientes: Sure, and I understand that, but I think the gist of that is they want people to be able to learn how to deal with their kids, that are going through a divorce. Again, as I said earlier, whether or not these people are going to put that in to practice or not – they may, or may not, but probably not. I don't know that you can gain parenting skills that you needed for the past 8 years, or 10 years, or 12 years, or whatever, in a very short, one-day, couple hour course.

David Siegel: Right. Not only that. There's a cost involved. I know in Will County it's pretty expensive. It's in the 80 to $90.00 range for this class, and also, it's another government intrusion, government supervision over everything. At some point here we have to kind of run our own show. That's just my opinion. It's good to see one of the counties is understanding this and they're actually going laxed on it, in contrary to the law. Parenting class aside, you can be done inside of a month or two months for an uncontested case. Is that what you're saying?

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