During the 2008 presidential campaign, people throughout the country heard about Bristol Palin’s son, Tripp. Since then, Palin’s relationship with Tripp’s father, Levi Johnston, has been the subject of gossip and news stories from Alaska to Florida. The couple is not married and recently fought a child custody battle in the courts.
The custody arrangement reached this month creates a strict framework for Johnston’s involvement with his son. Palin received primary custody of Tripp, and Johnston can see him only during specified times.
The child custody agreement allows Johnston to see Tripp between noon and 6 pm on Wednesdays as well as between 9 am and 4 pm on Saturdays. Those 13 hours each week are the only time that Johnston is guaranteed to be allowed to see his son.
Like many child custody arrangements, this document talks not only about the amount of time each parent will spend with the child, but also about other factors that influence the child’s wellbeing. In addition to outlining a parenting time schedule, the custody agreement also specifies that neither parent is allowed to speak badly about the other in from of Tripp or other family members.
Palin and Johnston’s relationship has been through very public ups and downs recently. Their child custody arrangement leaves room for them to become engaged again in the future, saying “when, or if, the parties get married to one another this shall constitute a change of circumstances.”
Source:
“Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston strike custody deal” (New York Daily News, August 14, 2010)
