Documentation in the Family Court System

I am considered a family court success story but I don't know that my children would be safe today had I not changed course when it came to how I documented things, and how I organized the chaos that had become our lives. Without radically changing my documentation system during my child custody battle, I don’t know if things would’ve unfolded the way they did.

Protective Parents & Documentation in a Child Custody Battle

If you’re like many protective parents out there, you’re doing your very best to consistently document important things for your child custody battle.

But here’s where it gets hard - when family court professionals don’t read your documentation, don’t take it seriously, or they even use it against you in your custody battle. 

It can take the wind right out of your sails and make it feel like documentation is more of a time-waste at best, and a liability at worst.

During the decade I was fighting for my children, I faced the disbelief, discouragement, and frustration that comes with documenting your heart out and feeling like no one cares. 

Difficult is an understatement.

Developing an Effective Child Custody Battle Documentation System

I would find myself cringing when people would say, “just keep documenting!” Not only did documentation feel like a full-time job, it often was a full-time job. I was documenting everything and it felt like it was in vain. No one was lining up to read it and even when I would show it to the professionals, they glazed over or seemed overwhelmed by it. Even worse, my ex-husband's parental rights seemed to trump the reality that my children were in danger.

I realized that I had to make some radical changes to my documentation process if I was going to:

a. Maintain my sanity and;

b. Use documentation to make traction in my child custody battle. 

I dug deep to develop radical acceptance for the current family court system. My mentality was, “I accept that this is the way that the family court system currently operates, even if I feel that it’s so very wrong. I will do what I have to do to protect my children and in time, I’ll advocate for systemic change.”

A Documentation Process That Works

Practicing radical acceptance enabled me (through trial and error, time, and tears) to create a documentation process that worked for me and now has worked for thousands of you. 

Here is a fact: 99% of my documentation has never been submitted to the court but, it was that 1% that ended up protecting my children. Documentation is the foundation but there is so much more to it. Once you have the documentation, it’s a matter of pulling it together and showcasing the patterns of behavior in a way that grabs the attention of those around you. It took years for me to fine-tune my system but once I did, it made a world of difference in my case and today, my children have peace and safety.

I credit much of my family court success to the way I documented the issues but also, the way I presented them to the court, to minor’s counsel and to child custody evaluators. Documentation is the foundation but there is so much more to it. Once you have the documentation, it’s a matter of pulling it together and showcasing the patterns of behavior in a way that grabs the attention of those around you. It took years for me to fine-tune my system but once I did, it made a world of difference and as a result, my daughters were protected.

Enroll in my documentation workshop today and I’ll teach you exactly how to replicate my exact process. You can do this, I believe in you!