Custody and parenting time
A schedule your kids can actually live with
The law calls it legal decision-making and parenting time. You call it who has the kids on Thursday.
A good parenting plan fits real lives: shift work, two school districts, a grandmother who does pickups. We write plans in that detail because vague ones are what bring families back to court.
If the other parent won’t agree, we show the judge why your plan serves the children, with records, not just your word.
What it covers
Where custody cases get decided
Parenting plans
Weekdays, weekends, holidays, summers and how hand-offs happen, written so there’s nothing to argue about.
Decision-making
Who decides on school, doctors and religion, together or alone, and what happens when you disagree.
Moving away
Asking to relocate with your child, or answering a request to move them away from you.
Changing an order
When the old schedule no longer fits a teenager, a new job or a new home.
Grandparents and others
Visitation or decision-making for a relative who has been raising the child.
Enforcement
What to do when the other parent keeps missing exchanges or won’t return the kids on time.
Custody questions from worried parents
Does the mother automatically get custody?
No. Courts look at the child’s best interests and don’t favor a parent for being the mother or the father.
At what age can my child choose?
There’s no age when a child simply decides. An older child’s wishes can carry weight, but the judge makes the call.
Can I stop visits if support isn’t paid?
No. Support and parenting time are separate. Withholding the kids can hurt your case; we enforce support another way.
What if I think my child isn’t safe with the other parent?
Call us the same day. There are emergency steps, and we’ll tell you which fits before you act.
Bring us the schedule that isn’t working
We’ll tell you what a judge would likely change, and how to get there with the least damage.