Summer vacation is supposed to be the time of the year that you can relax and enjoy fun activities with your children. Summer is definitely not the time to be getting into heated arguments with your ex-spouse over who your children will be staying with while they are home from school. Summer is when divorced spouses most often have disputes about where their kids will be traveling to and which parent will be spending the most time with the children. In some situations, one parent will want to take the kids on an exotic vacation out of the country, but the other parent who has primary custody of them during summer will disagree with their decision. To help you avoid an unpleasant argument with your ex, we give you 5 tips about making child custody arrangements for summer vacation.
#1: Make a Visitation Schedule for the Summer
If you don’t want to spend your summer in court disputing your custody agreement, and would rather go on a cross country trip with your children, you need to sit down and discuss your summer plans with the other parent to try and reach an agreement. Workout a custody and visitation schedule together so that both parents know exactly where the children will be over the summer.
#2: Always Keep to the Terms of Your Custody Agreement
Custody agreements sometimes include specific geographical limitations that will prevent one parent from taking the children to locations that the other parent doesn’t want them going to. If you want to go abroad with your children for the summer, but your custody agreement states geographical limitations, you will need to have it modified. No matter what your plans might be for the summer, make sure you always stick to the terms that have been stipulated in the custody agreement.
#3: Inform Your Ex When Plans Change
You can’t plan for everything, and sometimes your plans will need to be altered to accommodate various situations that might arise. Do your best to quickly inform the other parent when your custody plans will need to be changed to accommodate a new situation you weren’t expecting. The last thing you want to do is make your ex feel overwhelmed with last minute news about a change. If the situation allows you to, give the other parent several weeks to a month to make arrangements for new travel plans.
#4: Use a Safe Location to Exchange Custody
You don’t want to make exchanging custody more stressful than it needs to be. You should meet in a well-monitored, public place where your children feel comfortable and safe. Schools and day care facilities are usually good locations for exchanging custody, especially when the parents tend to get into arguments when they are in the same room together.
#5: Maintain Communication Between Your Children & the Other Parent Over Summer
If your children want to talk to your ex over the summer, don’t take it personally. Although your kids might spend more time with you when they are out of school, it’s normal if they miss their other parent and want to occasionally speak with them. If you are vacationing far from the other parent over the summer, let your kids occasionally Skype or call your ex if they ask to.
At Myers Family Law, our team of attorneys are committed to helping clients in Granite Bay resolve their disputes and move on to the next phase of their life. With more than 25 years of experience handling family law cases, we are familiar with this area of the law and we have the skills and resources that you need to secure a positive outcome.
Call (916) 634-0067 to schedule your consultation with our legal professionals today.