If you are a parent who has recently filed for divorce or separation, you’ll likely need to come up with a visitation plan with your ex. If you’re a California resident, here are some tips to ensure that your child custody/visitation schedule works well for your family.
Options for a vacation schedule
Some parents want to create their parenting plan for a specific period of time. Vacations are a great way to offer children who primarily live with one parent the opportunity to spend quality time with the other parent. Often, the time frame is two weeks in the summer for vacation time. Many of these parents with this vacation schedule may keep their children every other weekend according to the parenting plan. For the weekend schedule, the parents can sometimes alternate custody of the children every other weekend. The exchange of children from one home to another usually occurs on Friday evening (the start of the weekend).
How to have a stress-free vacation
If you want to keep your child custody arrangement as stress-free as possible, here are some tips to keep in mind when scheduling your vacation.
Be sure you’ve established a start and end time with your ex. For instance, if you and your ex are sharing winter break (which lasts for about two weeks), make sure you both know the time and date when the children will go from one home to the other. Make a special effort to stick to the schedule and arrive at the pre-determined meeting place on time.
Think about your children’s school schedule when scheduling the return dates after vacations and holidays. Children may need a day or two to settle back into their school routines.
You can also make the holidays a little more enjoyable by making sure your kids prepare a gift or card for the other parent to present to them during the exchange.