Divorced Parents Guide to Co-Parenting Through the Holidays
The holidays are times to celebrate with family, but if you are recently divorced or newly separated, this time of year can be extremely stressful. You are learning to navigate parenting from a new perspective, and at the same time, you are trying to provide your kids with stability and traditions. There are some tips you can use to help you get through this challenging time with your family.
Follow Your Parenting Plan
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I keep my Kids from seeing the other parent?”
Yes, your holidays may become a little disorderly and complicated if you are a newly divorced parent, but that does not mean that you cannot enjoy Christmas and New Year’s Eve if you share children with your ex-spouse.
Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can I do to gain custody of my child in North Carolina?”
Holidays are all about tradition, and as Heather Gray writes for Yahoo Parenting, divorced dads can get the feeling over the holidays that “traditions don’t really exist” for them anymore.
If what a divorced dad has in mind for a happy, fulfilling holiday doesn’t square up with reality, the first step towards making a happy holiday a reality is becoming clear about exactly what a divorced dad wants. One may not—due to opposition from an ex-wife, due to legal agreements or other circumstances—be able to get everything one wants, but it is important to begin with a clear picture of what one believes happiness must include.
The worst that can happen is an ex will say no. The ex has Christmas with the kids. It’s in the custody order, that’s it.
But that’s not it, and if relations are generally amicable between a divorced dad and his ex, perhaps there is room for compromise. Maybe there is something a divorced dad can offer in return for holiday time with children. Perhaps on an upcoming weekend the children can remain with their mother instead of spending the weekend with their father, as is their custom.
Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog