With the holiday season quickly approaching, it is important for divorced parents to start thinking about how they will share custody of their children during this important time. Neither parent wants to miss out on spending the holidays with their children, nor do they want things to get sticky if these plans are put off until the last
minute. Fortunately, it is entirely possible to ensure that both parents get to spend time with their little ones during the holiday season, and making a plan ahead of time will make the entire process go much more smoothly and pleasantly for everyone involved.
How to Approach the Conversation
If you don’t get along with your ex-spouse or if you simply don’t talk to him or her very often, the idea of approaching this conversation might be upsetting. However, this is an important conversation to have if you want your kids to have a great holiday and if you want to make sure that neither you nor your co-parent has to spend too much time without your child during the holiday season.
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Contacting your ex-spouse well ahead of time is essential. When you do, mention that you would like to talk in about a week or so about a holiday custody schedule, and ask him or her to find out about their family gatherings or other events that might be going on during the holidays. During this time period, you should do the same thing.
Working Out an Agreement
Once both of you know what the family and other holiday plans will be for the season, it will be time for you to sit down and talk about your upcoming custody agreement. This conversation can be had over the telephone, but it isn’t a bad idea to meet for a cup of coffee to work things out. You should always work on being civil as you and your ex-spouse will always be co-parents to your kids.
When you do, you must be willing to compromise and negotiate, but don’t give in completely to your ex-spouse, either. Instead, try to come up with a mutually agreeable plan that will work for you, your co-parent, and your child. For example, you might decide that the child will spend Christmas Eve with one parent and Christmas day with another, or the child might stay with one parent until after lunch on Christmas and with another for the evening of the holiday.
Working these things out together can make for a much more pleasant holiday season for everyone, but if you are having a hard time coming to an agreement, you might have to seek legal assistance.
Article provided by the Cantor Law Group. The Cantor Law Group is an AV rated law firm that helps families through the difficult process of Divorce in Arizona.