DC and MD Matrimonial Lawyer Focusing on Custody, Divorce and Prenups
For over 20 years, Regina A. DeMeo has been helping families in MD and DC with custody and divorce issues either through mediation, litigation or advocacy. She is an alumna of Georgetown University and GW University Law School, who is nationally recognized as a top matrimonial attorney. She is frequently quoted in the media for her ideas to promote healthier relationships and featured in the Washington Post, ABA Journal and Bethesda Magazine for her care and commitment to her clients. As a legal commentator, she has appeared on Washington Post Express Facebook Live, ABC tv, Good Morning America, MMCTV, YouTube and Sirius XM, and has been quoted in various magazines, books and journals across the country.
Regina offers appointments in Maryland and DC. Her areas of practice include:
Latest Blog Posts by GenXSmartie
Trying to Juggle Too Much At Once
Most humans are creatures of habit; change is difficult for lots of people, and trying to take on too much at once can cause significant stress in the best of us. Changing jobs, going through a house renovation or move, addressing health issues, dealing with a new puppy or baby, all create pressures on us and can significantly impact how we interact with others. So, as much as we might feel capable of taking everything on at once, my advice is to try and limit these changes-- prioritize and tackle the most urgent tasks first, then work down the list. The less stressed you are, the happier you will be and those around you will appreciate this as well.We are all juggling a lot these days-- these are challenging economic times; few have job security; many have seen their home equity and savings depleted; families are scattered all over; and we all struggle to meet the demands from work and home, often at the expense of finding time for ourselves. But that "me time" is key, and in fact is probably vital to helping us find our center so that we can go on to try and tackle life's challenges. If the chaos is overwhelming, it may actually be time for a mini-vacation. I am certainly not promoting that we [...]
Which is Worse?
Sometimes, when there isn't a perfectly clean solution to a problem, I find the simplest question helps break the impasse: which is worse? To stay in an unhappy relationship for another month and see if things get better, or call it quits now? To hang on in a miserable job situation to see if it will improve, or to make a change and try something new? To remain silent on an issue to keep the peace or speak up and try to have your perspective understood? The way I may answer these questions is not necessarily how most people would, so what I have learned over time is to warn people that a person's advice is always going to be tainted by his/her own experience. Personally, my history proves that I will leave an unhappy relationship; I will always look for a better job if I am dissatisifed with my current situation; and I will speak my mind. I am independant, assertive and full of opinions-- but not everyone is built this way, and while I usually make decisions at lightening speed, others operate on their own timeframe. By observing my clients all these years, I have learned that most people are quite afraid of change. Many tried to take the path of least resistance and have admitted to staying [...]
The Opposite of Love Is Not Hate
There is so much that my wise psychologist friends have taught me over the years, but one of the best lessons they shared with me early on is that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather apathy. That has helped me understand so much about my clients throughout the years-- for it really is a thin line between love and hate. When you are angry at someone, it demonstrates that you still care on some level-- if you truly did not care, their actions would not affect you at all. Often I have seen people do ridiculous things to get another's attention-- write nasty emails, send incessant texts, call repeatedly to yell, etc. Here is my tip for disengaging: don't respond. You can always screen calls and delete unwanted emails or texts. If you are going to respond, remember Bill Eddy's line to use "BIFF," keep it Brief, Informative, Friendly, but Firm. While parents struggle to get to the point of apathy with their partners during a separation, I strongly encourage them to avoid the conflict around their children. Kids do not need to know the details that are being negotiated in a separation agreement or that there has been an affair. They just need to be kept apprised of changes that might impact them, but more than [...]
Being A Sister, Without the Baggage
Several people have been amazed by the fact that I could spend an entire week with my half-brother, essentially a complete stranger up until 3 months ago, in my house. Even some of our family members seemed a bit concerned prior to the visit-- worried that we would not get along, or that being in the same house for such a long period of time might be a bother. What everyone seems to be missing is that the inconvenience was NOT having him in my life all these years.Since we did not grow up together, we do not have any of the baggage that most siblings seem to carry with them from the past. We are meeting as adults, with a completely clean slate when it comes to our own relationship. Playing 20 questions with each other is actually fun-- because we are genuinely interested in each other's answers, and it is safe to open up because neither one is bailing on the other-- ever. The week together just flew by, and the only difficult moment was actually saying good-bye and putting him back on that plane across the Atlantic.Thanks to modern technology, we can stay rather well connected, and we have already proven ourselves to be good co-conspirators in terms of playing jokes and working together on gifts for [...]