Planning for a school break; spring or summer can feel twice as complex when your children’s time is split between two homes. Unfortunately, many times parents wait until the last minute to organize these plans, which can put a real damper on the holiday if your intended vacation is interrupted by issues surrounding a custodial visitation schedule. By specifying vacations in your parenting plan, managing the week’s custody agreement ahead of time, and getting it in writing, planning for school’s time off can be less of a hassle and more easily handled.
For example, does your parenting plan state that for school vacation weeks, one parent will get the kids after school is released on Friday, or will it be the following Monday when the school holiday actually begins? Also, does your parenting plan specify spring break as a holiday, or is it seen as a regular parenting week? These seemingly small details can throw a huge wrench into a family’s plans for the week.
Preparing well ahead of time is important not just for parents but for the kids as well. Parents should have discussions months ahead of time to decide who will have custody over the upcoming holiday weeks and even long weekends.
This advance planning is also significant in terms of your children’s best interests. The closer time gets to the actual week, the more they may be asking and thinking about what they would like to do during that time, and it also allows them to make plans with friends. Creating a sense of stability for your kids is essential to their overall well being. Kids, especially older ones, want to be able to predict where they will be instead of being forced one way or the other in the eleventh hour. If parents can cooperate, draft, and finalize these plans early, it’s likely that stress will be relieved for the whole family.
Once you have come to an agreement, you’ll want to finalize your plans by writing it down formally with your attorney. First, it will help both you and your co-parent remember exactly what you have agreed upon for that specific week, so you won’t need to rack your brain to recall that vital information.
Second, it will help in avoiding disagreements or larger issues as the week approaches. If one parent begins to instigate conflict over the custody agreement, the other may refer to the document to put a quick end to the issue.
While conflicts may arise, so may emergencies that could potentially hinder one parent’s ability to take custody over that time period. If this occurs, try and work together to find a solution that will be your children’s best interests. If you have concerns that this could be the case, perhaps it will be best to include something in your written agreement to cover emergency situations.
For more information and to schedule your free consultation, please call The Law Offices of Steven B. Chroman, P.C., at 661-255-1800 or visit us at www.chromanlaw.com. Mr. Chroman is a Trusted Advisor Award Winner and named Top 100 California Attorney’s with over 19 years of experience and local service.
This article was originally published in Santa Clarita Magazine as part of our firm’s mission to make family law information more accessible to the Santa Clarita community. Read the full feature and others at santaclaritamagazine.com.