The terms “custody” and “visitation” have been outlawed in Florida effective October 1. They have been replaced with “parenting plan” and “time-sharing schedule”. Other words like “Plaintiff” and “Defendant” have been replaced with “Mom” and “Dad”.

While some may think these changes are trivial - I disagree. The language of child custody has a huge impact on the outcome of many negotiations. Emotional, upset parents sometimes care more about the language of custody than they do about the actual time sharing. I have witnessed the breakdown of negotiations when the schedule had been agreed upon but the labels applied to the schedule were unresolved. If changing the words helps kids then it seems like a good move. Congratulations Florida.