Essential Tips for Winning Child Custody Be Actively Involved Make sure you are able to demonstrate that you are significantly involved in your child's life by taking an active role in the care, development, and discipline of your child. If your child is young, participate in feeding, bathing, walking, reading, napping, and medical care. As they grow older, take part in their educational development and extracurricular activities. Get to know your children's teachers, doctors, counselors, and coaches. Your ability to demonstrate the extent and quality of time with your child prior to and post-separation is critical. If the other parent is interfering with your involvement, document your attempts and the resistance that you are receiving. Establish a Physical Custody Schedule If you live separately from the other parent, it is critical that you negotiate a physical custody schedule that accurately represents your long-term goal of shared parenting, ideally before a custody petition or complaint has been filed. If you currently have a visitation agreement, make every effort not to miss any of your scheduled time. Spend as much time with your child as possible. Once parents have been following a set schedule for a significant amount of time, the Family Court will look to this schedule as the status quo and Judges don’t like to change what appears to be “already working”. NOTE: Percentage of Physical Custody is generally calculated by the number of overnights the child spends with each parent per year. Promote Involvement of the other Parent Show that you encourage the contact and active involvement between your child and their other parent. Unless clear evidence shows the child is in danger while in their care, the Family Court will frown upon [...]