Kid Stuff Find What’S Good on TV a Daughter’S First Date Young Star in the Kitchen Talking Politics Success Starts with Taking a Hands-On Approach
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January 2017 QUEENS FREE Family www.NYParenting.com COOL kid stuff Find what’s good on TV A daughter’s first date Young star in the kitchen Talking politics Success starts with taking a hands-on approach. Apply Now at SuccessAcademies.org ©2017 Success Academy Charter Schools. Queens Family NEW YORK January 2017 Parenting Where every child matters 22 18 FEATURES COLUMNS 8 Talking politics 6 Ask an Attorney How to handle election discussion BY AlISON ARDEN BESUNDER, EsQ. with your children BY SHNIEKA L. JOHNSON 28 Divorce & Separation BY LEE CHABIN, EsQ. 27 14 2017 resolutions: Care 31 New & Noteworthy more, love fiercely BY LISA J. CURTIS BY CAROLYN WATERBURY-TIEMAN 18 Kids & TV CALENDAR Ratings, recommendations, and guidelines for parents 22 January Events BY MYRNA BETH HASKEll 27 First-date jitters SPECIAL SECTIONS Daughter’s first dance brings out mom’s teen nostalgia 10 Catholic Schools BY KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN Directory 30 This kid’s got chops 17 Kids Activities Directory 31 NYC cooking prodigy tells us about 29 The Marketplace his prize-winning dish BY SHNIEKA L. JOHNSON January 2017 • QUEENS FAMILY 3 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Short days and long nights ’m writing this on the of the glorious things about Rolling out soon will be the “new look” shortest day of the year, life in New York are all the of our website, NYParenting.com, and we I Dec. 21, and I can only wonderful parks that make hope you will visit it often. It works well say how happy I am to know our city so enjoyable in every with any device and offers a great calen- that every day from here on season. dar, helpful guides and of course all of our will grow longer. It’s draining It won’t be long before we editorial, both recent and archived. Our to get up when it’s dark and have a snowfall that leaves Online Camp Guide 2017 will be launching to leave work when it’s dark accumulation on the ground, soon. Be sure to look for it. also. I miss the light and don’t and what kid doesn’t love Wishing all of you and our staff and know anyone who doesn’t. finding a good hill in a park contributors a very Happy New Year! We Kids especially have a really and sledding or snow tubing hope you have started out the year right difficult time in the winter, particularly down? And what about those ice rinks? and that good health and prosperity will now that most of them are engaged in af- There are many wonderful rinks in all the be a part of your every day life in 2017. ter-school programs. By the time they too boroughs and I urge you to make sure that Take nothing for granted. Enjoy! Thanks are finished, it’s dark and also cold, not the your family begins this fun practice really for reading. best recipe for outdoor fun. early on in your child’s life. Light is very important to our psyche The holidays were fun as they always and we have to take advantage of the week- are but now we’re on to a New Year and ends in the winter in particular to make new experiences. New York is exciting all sure we get enough outdoor light time. year long and winter is no exception. This Getting yourself and the kids up early issue offers a variety of ideas of how to Susan Weiss-Voskidis, enough on weekend days to get outside stay healthy, eat well, and prioritize and Publisher/Excutive Editor and frolic is of the utmost importance. One make the cold months internally warmer. [email protected] Community News Group Contact Information CEO: Les Goodstein ADVERTISING: WEB OR PRINT ADDRESS PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER: (718) 260-4554 New York Parenting Media/CNG Jennifer Goodstein [email protected] 1 Metrotech Center North 10th Floor CIRCULATION Brooklyn, NY 11201 New York Parenting (718) 260-8336 [email protected] PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Susan Weiss EDITORIAL www.NYParenting.com PUBLISHER / BUSINESS MANAGER: (718) 260-4554 Clifford Luster [email protected] OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE: CALENDAR NEW YORK Tina Felicetti (718) 260-2523 SALES REPS: Alexis Benson, Erin Brof, Parenting Jay Pelc, Stephanie Stellacio ART DIRECTOR: Leah Mitch The acceptance of advertising by New York Join the conversation on Facebook. Parenting does not constitute an endorse- New York Parenting has been recognized for WEB DESIGNER: Sylvan Migdal ment of the products, services or informa- editorial and design excellence by PMA. tion being advertised. We do not knowingly GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Arthur Arutyunov, present any products or services that are New York Parenting is published monthly by Richard Chance, Gardy Charles, Earl Ferrer, fraudu lent or misleading in nature. New York Parenting Media/CNG. Subscrip- tion rate is $35 annually. Reproduction of John Napoli, Mark Ramos Editorial inquiries, calendar information, New York Parenting Media in whole or advertising rates and schedules and subscrip- part without written permission from the tion requests may be addressed to New York th publisher is prohibited. All rights reserved. Parenting, One Metro tech Center North, 10 Copyright©2017 MANAGING EDITOR: Vince DiMiceli Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201. ASSISTANT EDITOR: Courtney Donahue New York Parenting can also be reached by COPY EDITORS: Lisa J. Curtis calling (718) 260-4554, emailing Family@ NYParenting.com or by visiting our website, CALENDAR EDITOR: Joanna Del Buono NYParenting.com. 4 QUEENS FAMILY • January 2017 Catholic Schools Week January 29 - February 4, 2017 Fidelis Care is proud to join with schools, teachers, students, and families in celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Thank you for your commitment to lifelong learning and to building stronger, healthier communities all year long. Quality health coverage. It’s Our Mission. 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) TTY: 1-800-421-1220 ÄKLSPZJHYLVYN January 2017 • QUEENS FAMILY 5 ADVICE ASK AN ATTORNEY ALISON ARDEN BESUNDER, ESQ. other half going to any surviving chil- dren. And, there are many people who hold themselves out to be husband and wife (or spouses) but in fact are not le- gally married. New York State does not have common-law marriage. Often people lose sight of what is in- volved to administrate an estate, and Don’t have a will? the fact that it can be less organized and require additional paperwork than in a probate estate. For example, for unmar- ried persons, you can try to go to court Know the risks to have a judicial declaration of a mar- riage, but it is a high burden of proof and ust” is not justice. when someone pulls something off the an uphill battle, one that encounters legal People often think that if they internet and just has it notarized, or has costs. Those costs are always considered “J die without a will, everything will it witnessed by one of the beneficiaries in determining the cost-benefit analysis just get taken care of. named in the will. of whether to proceed in a certain di- “Oh, I don’t need a will. Everything There are rules about the order of pri- rection. Estate taxes can also be higher will just go to my spouse.” Or, “I don’t ority about who stands to inherit from an in those cases, where a decedent was need a power of attorney. Worst comes intestate estate and who has “standing” not actually married to his partner, who to worst, they’ll just get a guardian- — the right to petition to be the fiduciary now will not receive the assets of the ship.” of the person’s estate. The fiduciary is decedent because he or she has no legal Often, these statements are driven by called an “Administrator” and not an standing as a non-spouse. the speaker’s desire to avoid paying legal “Executor,” a term which applies to pro- Also, if there are minor children, those fees, making it easier to resort to his vi- bate estates where a decedent died with minor children are not legally competent sion of focusing on what he thinks is the a will. (By the way, in New York State, to own property. Therefore, the parent ultimate result — rather than the process female fiduciaries are no longer called must seek appointment as a Guardian of required in order to get there. “Executrix” or “Administratrix” since the the property in order to receive the as- When someone dies without a Last diminutive suffix was abolished by court sets, at which point those funds must be Will and Testament, the rules of descent rule in 1997, yet many people continue to held jointly with the Clerk of the Court, and distribution of property under the incorrectly use these terms.) and the Court’s permission is required laws of intestacy — that is, dying with- The application of the laws of intestacy for a withdrawal of those assets. out a will — apply. These rules also may have unintended consequences. For This puts the Court in control of the apply when someone leaves a will that example, the spouse does not take all. In- assets, and not the child’s parent. The is invalid and does not comply with the stead, the spouse takes the first $50,000, parent is then required to seek the Sur- formalities of the statute, for example, and then half of the remainder, with the rogate’s Court approval every time she Disclaimer: This column is provided by Arden Besunder P.C. and New York Parenting Media as a public service to inform readers of legal issues. It is not intended to advise.