Create a pdf directory of your child’s key documents
Posted November 11th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
It is best to do things systematically, since we are only human, and disorder is our own worst enemy. —Hesiod (800 BC)
Do you have all of your child’s medical records catalogued and indexed? How about report cards and school progress reports? Are they all organized? Can you document, on a moment’s notice, who took the child tax credit on last year’s tax return, what you paid in doctor’s office co-pays for checkups and other visits, and how much you’ve paid the piano teacher over the last 12 months?
Chances are, you’re not that organized. And that’s a shame, because having quick access to all of the records, reports and documents concerning your children can be a great advantage in a child custody case. Your lawyer will love you, and the judge will quickly recognize your level of organization as a measure of your dedication to the child’s best interests. (If you’re already doing this, I congratulate you on your organization! Please tell me how you do it, and what your procedures are).
Today, there is no excuse for stacking school records and medical records in a shoebox or stuffing them in a drawer. These records can be easily scanned into your computer system, converted to pdf files and saved on your desktop, your laptop, or on any number of online record-management programs. In fact, with a little time, you can neatly sort and classify records into folders, and subfolders, on your computer – without spending a dime. If you choose to purchase software programs, you can carry out even more functions such as searching and indexing records online. In just a few hours, you can gather all of your children’s records on paper, scan them to pdf format, and sort them into files with such names as (1) Pediatrician Visits; (2) Dentist Visits; (3) Soccer Team; (4) School Band; (5) Report Cards, and (6) Summer Camp.
You need not be a technology geek to do these things. If you don’t have a scanner at home, you can usually buy one very inexpensively these days, or you can scan documents to a thumb-drive at a local office center, such as FedEx Office or Staples. Saving your children’s documents will prove to be a great time-saver when you are confronted with a surprise motion in court or a child custody trial. As the Greek poet Hesiod said, “it is best to do things systematically,” and uploading your child’s records into an online directory is the modern method of proving this point.
