You should write down the following in a journal:
- Agreed exchange times (when you are supposed to see the kids on weekdays, weekends, public holidays, school holidays, birthdays, etc)
- Modified exchange times (when you actually had contact with the kids)
- Reasons for modifications (by agreement, illness, your ex unilaterally changed contact times, etc)
- Notes for the day (while events are still fresh in your mind make a note of every event – positive or negative – that affects your kid’s lives)
Although simply having written something down in a journal doesn’t prove that it actually happened, it is important to be able to back up any claims that are made about times or events.
Having a well-organized journal does go a very long way to show:
- How much time you actually had contact with the kids (compared with what the court ordered you to have)
- The reasons why each visitation was changed
- Discrepancies between the court-ordered schedule and the real-life schedule.
