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Child Custody Mediation in Petaluma, CA
Petaluma parents navigating custody decisions face a specific logistical reality: a SMART train commute to the Bay Area, children in Petaluma Unified, work schedules that may include one parent working locally and one commuting, and a community where both parents' lives will continue to intersect after the divorce. A generic custody template imposed by a court doesn't account for any of that. A parenting plan developed in mediation by two parents who actually know these logistics does. Marla Keenan-Rivero's Petaluma child custody mediation helps both parents build an arrangement that works in the real context of their lives
Why Choose Marla
Marla's 24 years in Sonoma County family law litigation include extensive custody work, and her approach to Petaluma cases reflects the community's specific logistics. Parents with SMART train commutes have arrival and departure schedules that affect handoffs. Parents with Bay Area careers may have unpredictable late nights. Children in Petaluma Unified have school schedules that differ from Santa Rosa or Rohnert Park. A parenting plan built around the real details of Petaluma life—rather than a generic template—is more durable, requires less modification, and produces less co-parenting conflict over time.
Service Details
Petaluma child custody mediation covers legal custody, physical custody schedules, holiday and vacation allocation, co-parenting communication protocols, transportation logistics given Petaluma's commuter geography, and provisions for the children's school and extracurricular schedules. For Petaluma parents with variable Bay Area work schedules, Marla helps build flexibility provisions into the parenting plan that both parents can rely on. The resulting plan is incorporated into the full settlement agreement submitted to Sonoma County Superior Court.
One parent commutes to the Bay Area and has unpredictable work hours. How does a custody schedule account for that?
Variable work schedules are one of the most common parenting plan challenges for Petaluma families, and mediation handles them better than any fixed court template. Options include primary residence with one parent and flexible make-up time provisions, a schedule with defined alternative arrangements for Bay Area late nights, or a rotating schedule with specific provisions for commute days. Marla helps both parents design what actually works for their children's stability given the real constraints.
Both parents want to stay in Petaluma and have the kids go to Petaluma Unified. How does that shared goal affect custody mediation?
A shared commitment to staying in Petaluma and keeping the children in their schools and community is the best possible foundation for a parenting plan. It means the geographic constraints that make some custody arrangements impossible don't apply. It means both parents will see each other regularly in the community, which creates an incentive for a functional co-parenting relationship. Marla helps both parents build a plan that protects the children's community roots and reflects both parents' genuine commitment to their kids' stability.
What if we agree on most things but disagree on one or two specific custody issues?
This is the most common situation Marla sees in mediation. Partial agreements are productive starting points—they limit the issues that need to be resolved and often make the remaining disagreements easier to work through. A single session may be sufficient to resolve the outstanding issues in a case where both parents are mostly aligned.
Call Now for Child Custody Mediation in Petaluma
Call (707) 525-8800 or email Tidwell@perrylaw.net.
Marla Keenan-Rivero Family Law & Mediation
Business Hours
Monday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
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The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.