The CoFam library
Plain-English answers to the questions co-parents actually ask.
How custody schedules work in practice. What the words in your parenting plan actually mean. What to do at Thanksgiving, in the newborn months, when one of you moves. And how CoFam compares to the apps you might already be paying for.
Glossary
What the terms in your custody papers actually mean.
Legal definitions translated into the language parents use at the dinner table. What it means on tax forms, in the parenting plan, and when you talk to the kids' school.
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Right of first refusal
When and how the other parent gets first crack at extra time before a sitter steps in.
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Custodial parent
What the term means in legal documents, on tax forms, and in everyday life.
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Parenting plan
The written agreement that turns assumptions into rules both households share.
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What is co-parenting
A working definition that separates co-parenting from parallel parenting and shared custody.
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Joint legal custody
Decision-making rights for medical, education, and religion, separate from physical time.
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Parallel parenting
How high-conflict households still co-raise kids without daily coordination.
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Joint physical custody
When the calendar gives each parent meaningful overnight time with the child.
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Nesting arrangement
The setup where kids stay in one home and parents rotate in and out.
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Parenting time percentage
How courts and parents actually calculate the split, and why it matters for support.
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Joint custody
The umbrella term that covers legal, physical, and the most common combinations.
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Co-parenting vs parallel parenting
Two valid approaches for two very different conflict levels.
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Visitation vs parenting time
Modern terminology has replaced "visitation" in most states. Here is why.
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Exchange and handoff
The transition moments that make or break a co-parenting week.
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Sole custody
When one parent holds both legal and physical custody, and when courts award it.
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Step-parent role
Where step-parents fit in the schedule, the legal picture, and the family dynamic.
Schedules
Pick the rotation that fits your week.
Every common custody schedule, with the week-by-week rhythm laid out: who has the kids which nights, how transitions land on school days, and which ages each pattern tends to work for.
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2-2-3 schedule
Two days with one parent, two with the other, three on a rotating weekend. Near 50/50 with frequent contact.
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50/50 custody
Equal time. The umbrella category that covers 2-2-3, 5-2-2-5, 3-4-4-3, and alternating weeks.
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5-2-2-5 schedule
Five-day blocks with each parent and rotating midweek visits. School-friendly 50/50.
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3-4-4-3 schedule
A two-week rotation that gives each parent a four-day stretch and a three-day stretch.
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Alternating weeks
Week-on, week-off. The simplest 50/50 schedule for older kids and routine-driven households.
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Every other weekend
The traditional 80/20 schedule courts default to, and when it actually fits.
Situations
When the regular schedule breaks.
What to do at Thanksgiving, over summer break, in the first months with a newborn, on a child's birthday, and the other moments where the rotation alone doesn't tell you what to do.
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Holidays
How to split Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the long weekends without rewriting the schedule every year.
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Summer schedule
When school ends, the default rhythm breaks. Here is what works.
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Thanksgiving
Even/odd-year rotation, travel windows, and the rule that prevents a Wednesday-night fight.
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Winter break
Two weeks, two households, religious differences, and travel. The plan that works.
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Newborns
Short feed windows, breastfeeding, attachment, schedules under one year look different.
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Blended families
When step-siblings, half-siblings, and four parents share one calendar.
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Communication
When to text, when to use the app, and what to never put in writing.
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Birthdays
The parties, the parent-time split, and the gift-giving conversation nobody wants.
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First day of school
Drop-off, photos, and who gets the first-day pictures.
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After divorce
The first six months after the decree, the rhythm that takes hold.
Families
Your family probably doesn't look like the default.
How co-parenting actually works for military families on deployment, long-distance parents, blended households, same-sex couples, grandparent caregivers, and families just past the separation date.
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Military families
Deployment cycles, PCS moves, and the SCRA protections that change everything.
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Blended families
Step-parents, half-siblings, and a calendar that holds two former marriages.
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Same-sex co-parents
Legal recognition, second-parent adoption, and the schedule details that look the same as any 50/50.
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Grandparent caregivers
When grandparents hold custody, share custody, or carry the after-school weight.
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Long-distance co-parents
Hundreds of miles apart, school years and summers split, and travel built into the plan.
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Single-parent households
One parent, occasional handoffs to extended family, and the app that still helps.
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Recently separated
The first ninety days. The temporary schedule. The conversations nobody is ready for.
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Nesting families
Kids stay put. Parents rotate. A transitional or long-term arrangement that needs its own calendar.
Compare
How CoFam compares to the app you're considering.
Where each app is strong, where it's thin, what it actually costs (per-parent vs. per-family), and the kind of family it tends to fit. Honest, not marketing.
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CoFam vs OurFamilyWizard
The category default. Per-parent pricing, court-leaning features, and what changes when you swap.
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CoFam vs TalkingParents
Litigation-grade messaging. When you need it, when you do not.
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CoFam vs AppClose
The "free" app that bills both parents. An honest pricing comparison.
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CoFam vs 2Houses
The European-rooted incumbent. Feature parity, pricing, and tone.
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CoFam vs Cozi
The family organizer many co-parents use as a hack. Why a co-parenting app is different.
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CoFam vs FamCal
A general family calendar, strong on shared events, thin on custody rhythm.
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CoFam vs TimeTree
A shared calendar app many co-parents adopt. The line between calendar and co-parenting tool.
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CoFam vs WeParent
A smaller co-parenting tool with a similar amicable-couples thesis.
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CoFam vs coParenter
A mediation-leaning app with paid coach access. Different fit, different price.
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CoFam vs Our Days
The budget calendar-only app. Where it overlaps, where CoFam goes further.
Alternatives
What to switch to when the app you have isn't working.
If you're already paying for OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, Our Days, or Cozi and want a calmer fit, start here. What changes, what you keep, and how to migrate the schedule and the receipts.
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OurFamilyWizard alternatives
Five apps families try when OFW feels like court. CoFam first, but an honest field.
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AppClose alternatives
Free-ish but per-parent. The apps families switch to and why.
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TalkingParents alternatives
When litigation-grade messaging is overkill and you want a calmer tool.
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Our Days alternatives
When the budget calendar is too thin and you need expenses, records, and bridges.
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Cozi alternatives
For co-parents who have outgrown the general family organizer.