If you are one of the unfortunate souls to have experienced or currently are involved in a child custody dispute either with an attorney or as a pro-se litigant I will share as much information as possible to assist you in your quest as well as share some personal experiences. I am a pro-se litigant in Ohio; although I began my case with an attorney financial constaints and lack of satisfaction from services received prompted me into action as a father. Of course, initially there was fear, but who better to represent and convey the passion that I hold for my children than me.

I did not initiate the custody battle in which has been in litigation for over a year now, that pleasure was brought about by my ex-wife. We divorced just over three years ago and enjoyed a shared parenting plan in which she was the residential parent for school purposes; I had liberal visitation and almost spent half of each month with our children per our Divorce Decree and Shared Parenting Plan. However, I've never had the luxury of being involved in the decision making process in terms of where our children would attend school, what extra-curricular activities they would be enrolled in, or even being notified of doctor's appointments so that I would have the choice whether or not I'd like to attend. Frequently, I was not notified of special events in the kids lives until after the fact and it would be the children that shared the information.

My ex-wife has enjoyed all of the perks of being the "dictator" when it comes to decisions about the kids and how they would grow up. Following our divorce, I attempted to keep the peace between her and I and focus on raising the kids together and ensuring the kids had the best of both worlds and adapted to their new lives in each household. This was a very short-lived phenomenon, as their are some parents who believe that the other parent does not or should not enjoy the same parenting rights as the other party. However, ultimately this behavior only hurts the children and opportunities that they may have to enjoy life at either household without interruption or interference from the other party. I knew that sooner or later she would attempt to lessen my involvement with the kids even more, but she needed the ammunition to take me back to court.

Recently, I remarried to a wonderful woman who enjoys the children very much. Following the birth of our own child we experienced marital difficulties typical of newlyweds. The turning point came when my wife confided in my ex-wife about our problems, lending the insight into my life that my ex-wife longed for.