[CANADA : custody order question] Hello! I am looking for custody schedule ideas but really detailed ones because of a very toxic ex

I also live in Canada and have the pleasures of dealing with a high conflict ex, our court order is very specific, down to how and when we communicate. I’ll give you some things that are in our order but the biggest thing I would focus on is getting a court order and sticking to the court order (never ever straying from it).

  • in our court order we have a 24 hour cooling down period. If I email my ex, he has to wait 24 hours before he can respond back. (Except in the event of an emergency).

  • right of refusal (this one was very important to me). Basically if he or I can’t be with the kids (or a blood relative) we have to give the other parent the option to take the kids before we can hire a sitter

  • we only communicate via email, we never: hardly ever do exchanges (he picks kids up from school, I drop them off) as to limit contact.

  • our pick up/drop off days and times are down to the hour. For exampleI pick them up on Boxing Day at 12 from his house

  • the parent getting access, drives to the other parent. So if we have to do an exchange on s holiday or weekend, the parent who doesn’t have the kids but is getting them, drives to the other parents house. It seems petty but it was a constant topic we argued over. Now that it’s in the order- no argument.

  • both parents must be listed with schools, sports, etc. It’s the responsibility of each parent to be involved and not the responsibility of either parent to involve the other

  • obviously in Canada child support is a set amount and therefore no negotiation needs to occur. However I had the day and method in which he paid added (e-transfer)

  • you’ll have to work out section 7 expenses too. For ours, it was $700 per kid, per calendar year and my ex and I would have to discuss the expense before hand before the expense was incurred

  • I have final say in the event of a disagreement

  • I have the legal right to name a guardian in my place if I was to die. Which would be my parents and my ex knew about this.

If there is a topic you guys normally argue over, I would have the solution added to the agreement. If you make a habit out of switching days, meeting at other spots then in the agreement, it becomes a pointless agreement, so really stick to it.

/r/Custody Thread