Although it’s summer now, it will soon be time for your kids to head back to school. Shortly after, the holidays start one-by-one. First, it’s Halloween. Then, it’s Thanksgiving. Christmas and New Year’s Day aren’t far behind.
As a parent with joint custody of your children, this can be stressful to think about, but starting to plan what’s going to happen now is a good way to approach the upcoming months. By making a plan early, you can avoid some of the pitfalls that could happen if you don’t make plans at all.
How can you make sure you don’t have to stress during the holidays?
As a parent with joint custody of your children, this can be stressful to think about, but starting to plan what’s going to happen now is a good way to approach the upcoming months.
First, start with a plan. Talk to your ex-spouse about what you would like to do with your children. Do you already have a plan indicating what each child is during the holidays? That’s great if so. Take the time to reaffirm those plans. If not, take some time to work out where your child will spend each major holiday and for how long.
Communication is key during the holidays and the months leading up to them. It may seem early now, but just two months after school starts, you may be hearing about plans for your child going trick-or-treating. By having a plan early on, you can let your child know where he or she should expect to be and make it easier on him or her to make plans with friends and the parent in charge that holiday.
Take the time now to work on communication, and your holidays can be a breeze. If you can’t settle on an agreement, you may want to turn to the courts for more help.
Source: The Charlotte Observer, “3 Stress-relieving holiday tips for separated or divorced parents,” Amanda Cannavo, accessed July 18, 2017
