School is out! Some of the following topics may already be on your radar, others are for consideration in your years to come. If you are in the process of divorcing, the following is a good list of the special issues the summer time may bring. If you are already divorced, check your divorce agreement to make sure you are making plans for the children in accordance with your agreement.
Summer Special Holidays:
Your divorce agreement should always have a holiday schedule. Many times, people believe at the time of the divorce that they will be able to agree on the holidays in the future, and while sometimes they do, having a set schedule in place reduces fighting over holidays in the future.
Maybe you always spent July 4th at the beach with one side of the family. You will want this in your agreement. Remember that while it might seem like holidays will be easy to divide, people re-marry, they start new traditions, etc., and a set schedule reduces tensions. Clarify with as much detail as possible, including pick up and drop off times.
Change in times for parenting exchanges:
Sometimes, a custody agreement will call for parenting time to conclude with drop off at school. When school is out, you may need to make alternative arrangements for summer time drop-offs and pick-ups. Take a good look at your custody schedule, and see if the summer will cause reasonable variations.
The long-distance parent:
If one parent lives out of state, it may be difficult for the children to see that parent often during the school year. If this is your situation, consider whether the best way for that parent to have significant time with the children is to have a block of time during summer break. Don’t forget to address the cost of transportation and flight arrangements including whether the children are old enough to travel unaccompanied.
Summer Camp:
If your children have always attended summer camp, you will want to address this issue. If both parents work, the children will require summer child care. Where will the children go? Who pays for camp? Does someone lay out the money to register and the other parent has to reimburse their share? These are all issues to be addressed. If this is the first year that the children are attending camp, remember to consider the options well in advance, because often camps have early registration dates, and popular programs will be filled quickly.
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 20 years of experience and local service. You can purchase Mr. Chroman’s best-selling Divorce Workbook at: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-Divorce–considering-separation
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.