Indiana parents who are going through a divorce may want to consider using a calendar from the past year to help them reconstruct child-related expenses as well as what the child’s schedule was like and how much time they each spent with the child. This can be valuable information, particularly since it can be difficult to remember these details during the stress of a divorce. A calendar can also be useful in determining lifestyle during the marriage, which is helpful for spousal support purposes.
Details that parents may forget that can be gleaned from a review of the calendar can include doctor and therapist appointments for children and out-of-town trips for sporting events. Another frequently forgotten expense is the gifts children bring to the birthday parties they attend. If parents have a dispute about an activity or an expense, the calendar may be sufficient to settle it.
For calculating alimony, the calendar can be a useful record of events that are not necessarily as memorable as annual vacations. For example, the calendar may note how often the couple went out to dinner.
Parents may be able to negotiate an agreement for child custody and support. When they do, they may want to keep in mind the standard the court uses, which is the best interests of the child. Courts usually work from the assumption that the child should have a relationship with both parents. A parent who is concerned about the child’s safety with the other parent for such reasons as addiction or domestic abuse may want to discuss the situation with an attorney. The parent may be required to provide supporting evidence of abuse or neglect. A parent may be granted supervised visitation that could be changed to full visitation on achieving certain conditions, such as successfully completing a substance abuse program.