Coparenting and summer visitation schedules
Co-parenting over the summer can be very difficult. There are vacations to plan around, family events to attend and often competing schedules. However, with some communication and planning, it is possible to navigate the summer months without any significant issues.
Having a little flexibility can go a long way toward preventing summer custody issues and conflicts with your ex. Even if your parenting time order has a specific set of terms for the summer visitation, if you don’t mind changing things a bit to make things more convenient for your ex, it could better over the long term.
It’s important to remember that the focus during the summer months should be the same as the rest of the year: on the children. If your children want to spend a little extra time with a parent they don’t see very often; maybe it’s worth being a bit more flexible about how long your ex-has the kids or when you do custody exchanges.
However, predictability and consistency are essential to children, and there are some situations where it’s best for the children for the parents to stick to the schedule. This is especially true in cases where one parent may come in and out of the child’s life. If you feel that adhering to the letter of the court order is in the best interests of the children, that’s alright too. If you do have issues with your ex during the summer or believe there may need to be some changes made to the summer schedule, a lawyer can help.
Source: Huffington Post, “5 Tips to Prevent Discord While Sharing Custody of the Children Over the Summer,” Steve Mindel, June 07, 2016
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