No one has ever said that being a parent is easy. When your child is a baby and a toddler, you have to watch your little one 24-hours a day like a doting mother hen to ensure that he or she is safe and out of danger. That’s in addition to the tremendous amount of time spent on other tasks, e.g., cleaning, bathing and changing diapers.
Considering what a labor of love it is to be a parent, it’s a good idea to keep a record of all the things you do for your children. This will not only help you reflect on your parenting and become a better caretaker for your children, but also — from a legal perspective — your “parenting journal” or “childcare diary” could serve as a vital piece of evidence should you ever be involved in a child custody dispute in court.
Through diligent record-keeping on a regular basis, your childcare journal will contain a brief account of all that you did for your children on any particular day of the week. Your journal might reference, for example, that you prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner on that day, did three loads of laundry, bathed your child before bed and read a bedtime story. Alternatively, it might reference something fun and entertaining you did with your kids.
The above kinds of parenting journal entries can be used as supportive evidence in court that you either served as primary caretaker or shared this role with your spouse. Proving this is essential in any custody case because the courts will — in most situations — favor the primary caretaker of the children when deciding the kids’ living arrangements.
If you want to learn more information about the evidence and information required to win a child custody case, visit our website for a deeper investigation into the topic of Maryland child custody disputes.