If you and your child’s other parent are in a custody dispute, your old calendar can come in handy. An old calendar can not only remind you of all the important events in your family life, but it can also be useful in finding the evidence you need to resolve various custody issues in front of an Illinois judge.
Reconstructing your children’s activities schedule
As part of any custody dispute, you and your child’s other parent will need to figure out the children’s activities schedule. While you might know what clubs, afterschool activities and sports your children participate in, you might not remember exactly the dates of all of these, particularly as your children change activities with the seasons. An old calendar can also help you track other events your children participate in, such as birthday parties or trips to cultural institutions.
Figuring out parenting time
Another use for an old calendar is to figure out parenting time. You can use the calendar to calculate when each of the parents was with their children, which can affect the outcome of the custody dispute and might also affect the amount of child support ordered by the court.
Calculating children-related expenses
Custody disputes will also usually include issues around child-related expenses. An old calendar can help you track the following:
- Visits to doctors and other specialists and the amount of copays
- Extra-curricular activities and their costs
- Sports-related trips that required hotel stays
- Presents given for birthday parties
You might be tempted to throw out an old calendar as you declutter. However, remember that holding on to it a little bit longer can help you figure out many of the issues of your child custody dispute.
