Custody Hero
Guidance for the parent doing the work
Practical, plain-English writing on documenting your custody case: schedules, evidence, expenses, communication, and staying steady through it. New posts regularly.
Custody Mediation: How to Prepare and What to Expect
Custody mediation decides most cases before a judge ever rules. Here is exactly what to bring, what to say in your first 60 seconds, and what backfires.
Read the post → DocumentationMissed Visitation: How to Document It and Get Makeup Time
Missed visitation only counts in court if you logged it right. Get the exact fields, sample log and declaration wording, and the makeup time deadline.
Read the post → EvidenceHow to Prove Parental Alienation: Evidence That Works
How to prove parental alienation in a custody case: the records judges actually accept, a copyable same day log entry, and the mistakes that sink it.
Read the post → Court prepWhat Not to Say to a Guardian ad Litem in a Custody Case
What not to say to a guardian ad litem, what to say instead, and the records to bring so your custody interview helps your case instead of hurting it.
Read the post → DocumentationRight of First Refusal Custody: How to Prove Violations
A right of first refusal custody clause only works if you log every violation. Learn what triggers it, how to document each one, and what courts can order.
Read the post → Court prepCustody Evaluation: How to Prepare and What to Bring
What a custody evaluation really looks for, what to bring, what never to say, and how to build the dated record that decides the recommendation.
Read the post → Legal basicsCustody Modification: How to Prove Changed Circumstances
A custody modification is won on proof. See what counts as a change in circumstances, the records judges want, and copy-ready log and declaration wording.
Read the post → DocumentationHow to Keep a Custody Journal That Holds Up in Court
A custody journal only helps if it is written right. Get the exact fields, sample entries you can copy, and the evidence rules that get your log to the judge.
Read the post → Court prepContempt of Court for Child Custody: How to Prove It
Filing contempt of court for child custody violations takes proof, not frustration. Here is the record judges expect, with sample log entries you can copy.
Read the post → Court prepWhat Happens at Your First Custody Hearing, Step by Step
Exactly what happens at first custody hearing: who speaks, what the judge decides, what to bring, and the records that protect your parenting time.
Read the post → EvidenceWhat Can Be Used Against You in a Custody Battle
What can be used against you in a custody battle, from angry texts to a thin record, and the checklist to fix it before your next hearing.
Read the post →Custody schedule guides
Every common parenting-time schedule, each with a visual two-week calendar and the trade-offs that matter.
The 2-2-3 Custody Schedule
Two days on, two days off, then a three-day weekend that alternates each week. Frequent contact with short gaps, a common pick for younger children.
Read the guide → 50/50Week-On Week-Off Schedule
One full week with each parent and a single exchange per week. The simplest even rotation, often chosen for older kids and teens.
Read the guide → 50/50The 2-2-5-5 Custody Schedule
The same two weekdays with each parent every week, then alternating five-day stretches. Predictable handoff days and an even split.
Read the guide → 50/50The 3-4-4-3 Custody Schedule
Blocks of three and four days that swap each week, so each parent lands exactly seven of every fourteen days with steady rhythm.
Read the guide → Primary homeThe Every-Other-Weekend Schedule
One parent is the primary home; the other has alternating weekends. A traditional arrangement at roughly a 79/21 split.
Read the guide → Primary homeEvery Other Weekend Plus a Weeknight
Alternating weekends with one midweek overnight added, for more contact during the week. Works out to about a 64/36 split.
Read the guide →