Our First Meeting
How to Prepare for Our First Meeting
Create a timeline of important events for your family, from meeting the other parent to ending up in a custody evaluator’s chair. Most parents are somewhat nervous the first meeting, and constructing a historical timeline is often the most helpful task you can do to prepare.
What are your strengths as a parent?
What are your weaknesses as a parent?
What are the strengths or best characteristics of the other parent?
What are the major weaknesses of the other parent?
What attracted you to the other parent?
Describe the strengths and assets that existed in your relationship with the other parent. What went wrong in your relationship?
What caused the breakup of the relationship? What impact has this had on the present situation?
Describe your family and your relationship with your parents to date. What is their involvement with your child?
What is your child’s relationship like with their other set of grandparents and extended family members?
Do you have concerns regarding your child's relationship with any extended family members of other adults/children in the other household?
Describe the present parenting time scheduled and decision-making authority. How long has this plan been in place?
Describe the problem you believe exists or you have observed with the present schedule and decision-making authority for your child. Focus on the problems your child is experiencing, not your complaints or disagreements with the other parent/household.
Has your child indicated a parent with whom they want to live? How will you mitigate the challenges of your child adjusting to a new primary home/community/school/social environment if a modification is granted?
How will you help your child stay connected to their other home/community/school/social environment if a modification is granted?
Our First Meeting
How to Prepare for Our First Meeting
Create a timeline of important events for your family, from meeting the other parent to ending up in a custody evaluator’s chair. Most parents are somewhat nervous the first meeting, and constructing a historical timeline is often the most helpful task you can do to prepare.
What are your strengths as a parent?
What are your weaknesses as a parent?
What are the strengths or best characteristics of the other parent?
What are the major weaknesses of the other parent?
What attracted you to the other parent?
Describe the strengths and assets that existed in your relationship with the other parent. What went wrong in your relationship?
What caused the breakup of the relationship? What impact has this had on the present situation?
Describe your family and your relationship with your parents to date. What is their involvement with your child?
What is your child’s relationship like with their other set of grandparents and extended family members?
Do you have concerns regarding your child's relationship with any extended family members of other adults/children in the other household?
Describe the present parenting time scheduled and decision-making authority. How long has this plan been in place?
Describe the problem you believe exists or you have observed with the present schedule and decision-making authority for your child. Focus on the problems your child is experiencing, not your complaints or disagreements with the other parent/household.
Has your child indicated a parent with whom they want to live? How will you mitigate the challenges of your child adjusting to a new primary home/community/school/social environment if a modification is granted?
How will you help your child stay connected to their other home/community/school/social environment if a modification is granted?