Advice for maintaining a parenting journal
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Advice for maintaining a parenting journal

On Behalf of | Dec 20, 2018 | child custody

One of the most essential elements to prevailing in a heated child custody battle is being able to show the court how you served as the “primary caretaker” of your children. The primary caretaker is the parent who handled the majority of the child-rearing tasks, and this is the parent who courts tend to favor during a child custody dispute.

To prove you served as the primary caretaker, a parenting journal is extremely helpful as evidence. Here’s how to keep a quality parenting journal:

— Choose where you’re going to keep your journal, and stick with the strategy. It might be in your smartphone’s calendar app, in a wall calendar or in a specially-designated agenda or notebook.

— Take notes about the mood and behavior of your child.

— Record whether the other parent has dropped off or picked up your child on visitation days and whether the exchange occurred on time.

— Record all the things you’ve done on behalf of your children in terms of childcare tasks, driving to school, bathing, clothing, going to the doctor and preparing meals.

— Make a note about the fun activities you enjoy with your kids, whether those were in the house reading a bedtime story, playing sports outside, going to a museum or movie or other activities.

— Take pictures and save those pictures in one place. If they’re on your smartphone, be sure to back them up.

With a good parenting journal, you’ll be better capable of defending your child custody position in court should this become necessary during your divorce proceeding. You may also want to have a skilled family law attorney by your side to represent your interests. Our law firm is available in this regard should you require our services.

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