Custody & Co-Parenting Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the legal and practical terms you'll run into while navigating shared custody.
- Best Interests of the Child
- The legal standard courts use to decide all custody questions.
- Bird's Nest Custody
- See Nesting.
- Child Support
- Ongoing payments from one parent to the other to cover the child's needs.
- Co-Parenting
- Two separated parents actively working together to raise their child.
- Communication Log
- A tamper-evident record of messages between co-parents.
- Contempt of Court
- A finding that a parent has willfully violated a court order.
- Court-Ordered Communication App
- An app the court requires parents to use for all co-parenting messages.
- Custodial Parent
- The parent with primary physical custody.
- Custody Evaluation
- A professional assessment ordered by the court to recommend a custody arrangement.
- Custody Order
- A binding court order that establishes custody and parenting time.
- Custody Schedule
- The recurring pattern of days each parent has the child.
- De Facto Custody
- Custody based on actual caretaking, without a formal court order.
- Ex Parte Order
- An emergency order granted without the other parent present.
- Exchange (Custody Exchange)
- The moment one parent hands the child over to the other.
- Guardian ad Litem (GAL)
- A court-appointed advocate whose job is to represent the child's best interests.
- High-Conflict Custody
- A custody case marked by ongoing hostility, disputes, or court involvement.
- Holiday Schedule
- A separate rotation that overrides the regular custody schedule on holidays.
- Joint Custody
- Custody shared between both parents — legally, physically, or both.
- Legal Custody
- The right to make major decisions about a child's life — education, healthcare, and religion.
- Mediation
- A voluntary process where a neutral third party helps parents reach a custody agreement.
- Modification
- A change to an existing custody order approved by the court.
- Nesting
- A custody arrangement where the child stays in one home and the parents rotate in and out.
- Non-Custodial Parent
- The parent with less than 50% of overnights.
- Parallel Parenting
- A low-communication co-parenting style used in high-conflict cases.
- Parenting Coordinator
- A neutral professional who helps parents implement their parenting plan.
- Parenting Plan
- A written document that lays out how divorced or separated parents will raise their child.
- Parenting Time
- The scheduled time a parent has physical care of the child.
- Petitioner
- The parent who files the custody or divorce case.
- Physical Custody
- Where the child physically lives on any given day.
- Primary Custody
- The parent with whom the child spends the majority of nights.
- Relocation
- A parent's move that would materially affect the other parent's custody time.
- Respondent
- The parent who responds to the petition.
- Right of First Refusal
- A clause requiring one parent to offer the other parent care time before using a babysitter.
- Sole Custody
- One parent holds custody rights alone.
- Step-Up Schedule
- A parenting plan that gradually increases one parent's time as the child ages.
- Summer Schedule
- A different parenting-time pattern used during school break.
- Supervised Visitation
- Court-ordered parenting time that happens with a third-party monitor present.
- Temporary Order
- A short-term court order in place while a custody case is pending.
- Transfer Log
- A dated record of every custody exchange between parents.
- Visitation
- The older term for scheduled time with the non-primary parent.