Whatever you can do to show how thoroughly you have been involved in the day to day life of your children, you must document and make clear to the court. Your argument, then, would be that to limit, in any way, your contact with your child would be a radical change in the child's life, and would therefore pose a risk. That way you at least have a chance to have the temporary orders be for joint custody. Once a pattern has been established, it is next to impossible to alter it by modification. When it comes to child support, judges generally have very little discretion.
All states have guidelines for child support that are largely cut and dried.
In order for the judge to deviate from the guidelines, he or she must state on the record the reasons for doing this. Most judges are very reluctant to do this. The information contained in this site is provided free of charge. It is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or a substitution for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed in your state. The transmission of information on this website is not intended to create, and its receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.