When involved in a contested custody case, you should keep a calendar of all significant events. Take the time to make a note of things like how often the other parent has the kids, when support payments are made, when important discussions are had with your soon-to-be-ex.Sometimes these calendar notes can help determine the proper amount of child support. Most of the model schedules in use in Florida provide for almost 40% of time with the non-custodial parent. Since the law allows an adjustment for significant timesharing, child support is often reduced. If the non-custodial parent does not actually exercise the time allotted in the schedule, child support may need to be adjusted. Before you can adjust child support, you will need to know the exact number of days actually used by the non-custodial parent. A calendar makes this calculation far easier than trying to reconstruct missed visits many months down the road.
Similarly, a calendar can help document late pick ups and drop offs, refusals to cooperate, chronic late payments and other inappropriate actions of the other parent. If you are having any dispute with your soon-to-be-ex, try using a calendar to keep track of events. You should also be aware that your calendar can be subpoenaed by the other side, so you may want to use a separate calendar for your divorce disputes.