Holiday celebrations can create powerful and cherished childhood memories. For this reason, parents often place a significant emotional value on holiday traditions and activities. However, after a divorce or separation, these traditions and activities must change to adapt to the new family structure. As such, holidays may take substantial planning, especially if you aren’t on the best of terms with your former partner.
Create a Schedule
If you already have a visitation schedule in place, you may wish to honor that schedule regardless of holidays. However, you can also create a separate visitation schedule for all major holidays. The contents of this schedule will be as unique as each co-parenting partnership.
Perhaps you would like to alternate who gets the children on a specific holiday each year; or maybe you would prefer to have your children for half the day on all holidays. Whatever you decide, make sure it works with everyone’s lifestyle.
Keep the Children in Mind
It may be hard to keep things civil if you and your former partner are not on the best of terms. With the added pressure of the holidays, issues can easily be exacerbated. It is always wise to keep children as the number-one priority, especially when communicating with your ex. Try to keep all talk strictly about the holiday schedule and not let it drift to subjects that may cause arguments.
Consult with an Attorney
If you have a holiday schedule in place and your ex-partner refuses to honor it, a child custody attorney can help you with your situation. A visitation schedule is a legally binding document. If one party is not following the stipulations in the document, they could face serious legal consequences. An attorney can explain your options and ensure your child is where they should be on each holiday.
Providing Professional Legal Guidance
If you and your ex-partner are having issues coming to an agreement on a holiday schedule, our dedicated attorneys can help you through the process. We can create a solid schedule that will work best for all parties involved
Call our firm today at (631) 880-6440 or contact us onlinefor your free consultation.