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How to create a workable holiday visitation schedule

On Behalf of | Aug 25, 2022 | Child Custody, Divorce |

The end of summer is fast approaching, and before you know it, the holidays will be upon us. Parents filing for divorce will likely have a very different upcoming holiday season. The key is to find a holiday visitation schedule that minimizes stress and that actually works. Whichever holidays the family celebrates, parents should make every effort to ensure that the children spend time with both parents.  Some tried-and-true approaches often work, while other families have specific arrangements that address their unique needs.

Common ways to split the days up

Here are some successful solutions that often work:

  1. Alternating holidays: The parents divide holidays by even and odd years. Often these are further alternated so that the same parent doesn’t have back-to-back holidays.
  2. Splitting them: The children spend part of the day with one parent and another part with the other parent.
  3. Double holidays: This can be popular with kids because they feel like they get a second holiday,one with each parent. Perhaps, schedule it a week or several days before, so it doesn’t seem like an afterthought.
  4. Same holidays each year: Perhaps a particular holiday is a much bigger event on one side of the family.

Special holidays

Some holidays are ones that the parents may want to both be present. Common examples include:

  1. Your child’s birthday: Arrangements for each parent to have time to celebrate with the child is essential.
  2. Your birthday: Perhaps the parent gets a bonus day that is not part of their regular schedule.
  3. Long weekends: There are several three-day weekends (Labor Day, Memorial Day, MLK, etc.) that can be opportunities.
  4. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: This is self-explanatory.
  5. Thanksgiving weekend: The parent who does not get Thanksgiving (or another holiday) gets the kids for the weekend.

These are important milestones

Holidays are a time for families to gather, and parents can still help ensure that those traditions remain essential milestones for the entire family. Ostensibly these arrangements help maintain stability for the kids, but the change in the holiday routine can also impact the parents. Parents can discuss their priorities with an experienced, Board-Certified Texas Family Law expert attorney to determine the best options or, if necessary, to negotiable a fair and equitable plan.

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