Special Situations
When Your Teenager Wants to Switch Homes
A fifteen-year-old says she wants to live with the other parent. What the request usually means, how courts tend to treat a teenager's voice, and how not to lose her while you…
All articles
Living with the Order
Can you take your child out of state for Thanksgiving if the order never mentions travel?
Learn whether your custody order allows an out-of-state Thanksgiving trip, which automatic orders might restrict travel, and how to plan it safely.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Thanksgiving in Two Homes: Plan It in October
Thanksgiving is on November 26 this year. The families who have a good day usually settled it in October. How to plan one holiday across two homes, and what to do if…
Parenting Time & Schedules
Can the other parent walk the block with you?
Learn when you can join the other parent's Halloween walk, how state orders assign the holiday, and how to plan a calm, safe shared night.
Putting Children First
The two houses have different candy rules. What do you tell your child?
Learn what to tell your child when each home has different candy rules, plus shared safety steps and a plan to agree on with your co-parent.
Living with the Order
Splitting the Cost of Activities, Braces, and Camps Without the Receipt War
Activities, braces, and camps are not covered by a basic support number. How to agree on who pays, keep the records simple, and keep a child's schedule out of the money fight.
Living with the Order
The exchange is at dinner time and your child is not in the costume yet. What now?
Costume not ready and dinner is close? Get a calm plan for the handoff: what to pack, who dresses your child, and what your order says.
Living with the Order
What costume photos can the other parent post?
Find out whether the other parent can post your child's costume photos, what your custody order controls, and how to propose privacy limits.
Living with the Order
Who buys the costume, and which house does it go back to?
Who pays for a Halloween costume and who keeps it when kids split time between two homes, plus how to put a costume plan in writing.
Parenting Time & Schedules
When the Order Says Only "Thanksgiving Day": How to Mark the Rest of the Week
Understand what 'Thanksgiving Day' means in your custody order and mark every day of November correctly. Learn when to ask for clearer wording.
Special Situations
Flu Shots, Vaccines, and Medical Decisions When Parents Disagree
Flu season means appointments and opinions. How shared medical decisions usually work after a split, and how to keep the doctor's office from becoming a courtroom.
Parenting Time & Schedules
A New Partner on the Trick-or-Treat Route: Who Decides, and When to Wait
When a new partner wants to trick-or-treat: learn who decides, what your custody order says, and how to handle it smoothly.