4 Tips for Taking a Post-Divorce Summer Vacation
Summer vacations are a great way to make lasting family memories. But planning summer vacations can become more difficult following parents’ divorce. Here are some tips for separated couples to keep in mind when planning your first vacation with the kids post-divorce.
Have a Summer Vacation Plan
During your divorce, you and your co-parent should engage in collaborative divorce or mediation to establish a parenting time plan that specifically addresses the unique aspects of your children’s summer break from school. This may involve adjusting the parenting time schedule and logistics for custody exchanges, especially if the kids have no set plans for summer or if they are going to attend day or overnight summer camps. The parenting plan might also have provisions for each parent to travel with the kids on vacation. Parenting time plans should provide each parent with a block of time to take the kids on vacation, and require notice to the co-parent as well as placing restrictions on travel (if necessary) such as barring international travel or precluding a parent from bringing a significant other on vacation with the kids.
Maintain Good Communication
When going on vacation with your kids, it is important to keep good communication with your co-parent. This includes providing them with a basic travel itinerary so that they know where their kids will be. Other details that should be worked out include the frequency of check-ins between parents as well as the non-traveling parent’s ability to communicate with the children while on vacation. Will phone or video calls occur at certain times during vacation or will children have the freedom to contact their other parent? Having good communication during the vacation planning process will help avoid conflict between co-parents or worrying by the non-traveling parent while the kids are away on vacation. Finally, it can also help to be flexible to allow your co-parent and the kids to have a little spontaneity while on vacation.
Remember that Summer Vacations Are for Your Children
You and your co-parent should also keep in mind that summer vacation is an opportunity for you to strengthen your respective relationships with your children and to provide them (and you) with cherished memories. This means that you should plan vacations that are appropriate for your children’s age and interests. Avoid the temptation to plan an expensive or event-packed vacation just to try to seem like the “better” parent. Instead, plan a vacation that will allow you to connect with your children.
Share in Your Children’s Excitement About Their Vacation
If your co-parent is taking the children on vacation during summer break, you should work to make your children’s experience on vacation as enjoyable as possible. This may include sharing in your kids’ excitement about their upcoming vacation and keeping up that excitement when they get back and want to share the details of their trip with you. By making your children feel comfortable about displaying in front of you the excitement they had with their other parent, it avoids forcing your children to feel like they need to compartmentalize their feelings to avoid hurting yours.
Contact a Cherry Hill Family Law Attorney for a Consultation About Child Custody in New Jersey Today
If you are thinking about filing for divorce, or if you have already started the divorce process and are dealing with another matter such as child custody, child support, or division of assets, you need to speak with a qualified attorney. Family law attorney, Lois Garber Schwartz, Esq. represents clients throughout the state, including Cherry Hill, Marlton, Medford, and Pennsauken. She understands how challenging this time can be for you, which is why she will fight hard to protect your interests, and the interests of your loved ones, throughout the legal process. Call her at (856) 482-8799 or fill out the confidential contact form to schedule a consultation. She has an office conveniently located at 1040 Kings Hwy. N., Suite 202, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.