Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog
Five Tips for Co-Parenting Through the Holidays
The holiday season is one of joy and celebration, especially for children. You want to do everything you can to make the holidays fun and memorable. Now is the time to put aside your problems and take steps to improve your co-parenting skills. As you approach the season, here are five tips for better and more successful co-parenting.
Call a Truce
The holidays are supposed to be fun and exciting times, especially for children. Don’t spoil the mood by arguing. Put a hold on your differences, disputes, and resentment at least until after the holiday season is over. Put aside any leftover disagreements for the sake of the holidays. Don’t push your ex-spouse’s buttons and don’t allow them to bait you into a fight. If you find it hard to deal with your ex, seek help from a trusted friend or relative to assist with the situation and reduce your stress.
Communicate
It is essential to step up communication with your former spouse during the holiday season. You will need to discuss a variety of things, often some that come up unexpectedly. Remember to keep the discussions around the kids so you don’t fall back into arguing about past issues. Don’t make the mistake of communicating with each other through your children. This only puts strain on them and could result in miscommunication. Set aside a certain time each week for a call to discuss any open issues or scheduling matters with your ex.
Be Flexible
The season can bring unexpected changes to people’s plans. It is helpful to remain as flexible and understanding as possible in case some revisions to your schedule need to be made. Keep this in mind as you make your own plans for the holidays. Try to allow for some unscheduled time so you can more easily accommodate any last-minute changes. Scheduling too many activities can lead to more stress for you and for your kids. Co-parenting or joint custody requires both parents to work together in the best interest of their child.
Establish a Schedule
There is nothing worse than when parents are fighting over visitation on the eve of a holiday. The best way to prevent disagreements is to establish a schedule as early as possible. If your parenting plan already covers holiday visitation, you will want to refer to that document. If you don’t yet have a plan, work with your ex to come up with a plan that is fair to everyone. Keep in mind that grandparents and other relatives will want to spend time with the children during the holiday. Although you may no longer socialize with our former in-laws or relatives, they still need to remain a part of your children’s lives.
Keep the Kids in Mind
All too often, parents try to work out holiday visitation based on their work schedules or what is going on in their own lives. But it is essential to consider the needs and the desires of your children. Remember that your children may have some things that they want to do, especially as they get older. They may have parties to attend or activities that they want to do with their friends. Be mindful of your children’s stress levels and allow for some quiet time for everyone to relax and recharge.
Co-parenting can be challenging, especially during the holidays. As you go through a separation and divorce, you will want to put a comprehensive parenting plan in place that includes details for how to handle the holidays. To learn more, contact our skilled legal team at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to schedule a consultation.
The family law practice group at Arnold & Smith, PLLC includes four Board-Certified Family Law specialists and one Child Welfare Law specialist, as well as several attorneys with many years of family law experience that are committed to providing a powerful voice to individuals facing the often-tumultuous issues in this area of law. The range of issues our family law clients may be facing include pre- and post-nuptial agreements; separation agreements; post-separation support; child support (both temporary and permanent); absolute divorce; divorce from bed and board; military divorce; equitable distribution of assets; child custody (both temporary and permanent); retirement benefits and divorce; alimony and spousal support; adoption; and emancipation. Because this area of the law is usually emotionally charged and complicated, the family law attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC act with the utmost dedication to ensure that each client understands his or her options, and then act to achieve the best result possible for that client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/joint_custody
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/parenting_plan
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