Time-sharing is part of a custody arrangement and refers to how much time each parent or guardian will have to spend with their child. Considering the child's best interests as a guiding principle, the court creates a parenting plan with a time-sharing schedule. Not too long ago, mothers were routinely the presumed custodial parent, and fathers had to petition for visitation. Nowadays, the law recognizes that children thrive when both parents play an active role in their development and that the previous practice of granting a default judgment in favor of the mother was not always the best decision.