Summer Child Custody and Support Issues
Trying to figure out child custody and support for the summer can be difficult even for couples who still work together amicably, as having the kids out of school completely disrupts the predictable schedule offered by the school year. Of course, both parents will want to make sure that the child support arrangement remains fair and they get to spend an adequate amount of time with their children while they’re out of school on summer vacation.
Dividing Parenting Time During the Summer
When dividing parenting time for your children’s summer vacation, you and your co-parent should look to maintain a schedule and consistency, as those will best serve your children. How you and your child’s other parent divide parenting time for the summer will depend on you and your co-parent’s situation:
- When parents live close by to one another: If parents live close by to one another (such as within the same county or a few towns apart), parents have more flexibility to divide up parenting time more finely into different parts of the day, including mornings, afternoons, and evenings/overnights, depending on your children’s other activities in a day, such as playdates, parties, or day camps.
- When parents live far away from one another: When parents live far apart, such as in different states, it may be helpful to plan out the entire summer, with each parent getting blocks of time lasting weeks or even months depending on the time and expense to exchange custody and how parenting time is divided during the school year. Having large blocks of parenting time for each parent can be helpful where children need consistency.
- When parents live an intermediate distance from one another: If parents live far apart but in the same state, a summer parenting time schedule can have a little more flexibility. One popular arrangement is the “week on, week off,” where each parent has parenting time in one-week blocks. This also provides flexibility to parents as they can take some relaxation or vacation time in the summer without parenting responsibilities.
Children’s Summer Activities
Parents may decide to have their children participate in structured summer programs, such as day camps, sleepover camps, or sports camps. Depending on your relationship with your child’s other parent, it can be helpful to structure your children’s summer activities or a process for reaching an agreement about summer activities into your divorce or child custody agreement. Most importantly, you do not want to let summer activities suggested by your ex cut into your own parenting time.
Summer Vacations
Similarly, you may want to consider negotiating into your divorce or child custody agreement defined blocks of time where you can take your children on an extended summer vacation of a week or more.
A Family Law Attorney Can Help
If you want to ensure that a child custody and support arrangement is fair to you and your children during the summer, an experienced family law attorney can help you negotiate an agreement that makes determining your summer plans easy for you and your family and can provide critical advice as you work to arrange details for your family each summer.
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 Southern New Jersey including Voorhees, Lindenwold, Haddon Township, and Collingswood. We understand how challenging this time can be for you, which is why we will fight hard to protect your interests, and the interests of your loved ones, throughout the legal process. Call us at (856) 482-8799 or fill out our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation. We have 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.