It's Simple Dads: Don't Document Facts & Evidence and you Will Lose Custody

Yes, you see it everywhere! Again and again people are telling you that documentation is vital to a successful attempt to get custody. I know you are probably painfully aware that as a father the odds are not in your favor. I also know that if you are a good parent, the best parent, you can achieve your goal of custody!

For the most part men do not spend time keeping a journal or written record of much of anything. So people in all directions are encouraging you to do this very thing. The hard part is often figuring out where to even start. A realistic assessment is a good way to go. This can be a simple outline or a very detailed document.

• Make several categories
• List your strengths and weaknesses
• List her strengths and weaknesses
• Consider providing examples of each
• Includes dates, times and details if possible
• Do not forget to add witnesses
There are a countless number of ways to go about this. Some examples of categories to start with include
• Fathers time with the kids
• Mothers time with the kids
• Children's daily routines
• Information about their friends
• School
• Your priorities
• Her priorities
• Social items such as church, play groups, ect.

Take these ideas and expound on them. This can be a good way to keep things organized. It is also an easy way to pinpoint items that you may not have remembered or considered before.
 
When you make detailed notes about things like your child's daily routine you are showing anyone who evaluates your records how well you know your children. It always is helpful to be able to show others how involved you are in the day to day aspects of your children's lives. If you are not intimately involved in things like the education and schooling of your kids it is a very good idea to get going!! You may not realize how little you know until you sit down and realize there is not much to write about!

I know even with all the above guidance you still may be wondering what exactly to get down in writing. Here are some examples:
• Tasks such as dishes, laundry, and homework that you do with your kids
• Chores and other household responsibilities your kids have
• Write out what the average days looks like: morning routine, school, meal times, bedtimes, ect.
• Include simple things like bathes and brushing their teeth
• Discuss any religious activity
• Show that you keep them active and healthy

Some of these things may appear to be elementary. Why would someone care that your kids brush their teeth and say their prayers every day? You are showing that you take care of their physical needs including basic hygiene. You are also showing that you expect them to be responsible. By including religious matters you are interested in providing them with a good sense of right and wrong and most likely addressing morality issues. Just getting started on all this writing will provide you with a starting point.