Custody log: what to note, and what not to note

Keeping a log of your custody periods is one of the most useful things you can do when you represent yourself. But a badly kept log can hurt as much as a good one helps. The rule fits in one sentence: describe what happened, not what you think of it.

What you write down: verifiable facts

• The date and time of the arrival and the departure.
• The place and the people present.
• The court process, in concrete, time-stamped terms whenever possible: « 10:42 a.m., snack at the park ».
• The deviations (lateness, cancellation, changed exchange): who, what, when, where.
• The reported statements by a third party, attributed neutrally: « according to the mother », « the father said that ».

What you avoid: interpretation

Two versions of the same situation:

• Avoid: « She showed up late on purpose, she always does that to provoke me. »
• Better: « The exchange was scheduled for 2 p.m. The mother arrived at 2:40 p.m. »

The fact speaks louder than the accusation. Being selective is also what destroys credibility: write down the whole period, not just the parts that help you.

When to write it down

The same day is ideal, but two or three days later is still perfectly credible: what matters is that the entry was recorded before the conflict escalated, not months later, the night before the hearing. The model is the police officer's: you take the reference points and the photos at the scene, and write the full account a little later.