Co-parenting can be a complicated endeavor under the most generic of circumstances, but co-parenting during the holidays is stressful for many parents. The holiday season sends us many back-to-back school closings and special occasions, which can leave even the most adept co-parents ready to pull their hair out.
Since the holidays are a time of heightened emotion for families in general, parents under the influence of a custody battle or even a new custody agreement are left to manage an emotional and logistical nightmare. Often, parents are so focused on fulfilling their regular visitation schedule that holidays and vacations become overlooked until the last minute. When parents can not agree on how to divide the time between their children reasonably, the holidays can become overwhelming for the entire family.
Fall Back On The Custody Arrangement
Most custody arrangements include provisions of some kind regarding holiday and vacation visitation schedules. These schedules can vary based on the family’s celebrations and personal preferences of the parents’ choices. The ideal scenario is that each parent has had input on how to share time with their children during the holidays; however, sometimes this is not clearly stated, which leads to confusion and complications.
Divide And Conquer
Some parents choose to share time on every major holiday, such as splitting the day with each parent. For others, this scenario may not be possible, in which, in this case, alternating holidays may be an agreeable solution. Whether you have an established custody arrangement or not, or you’ve been able to agree with your ex-spouse on holiday and vacation visits, it is important to re-visit your co-parenting plan annually to avoid missteps.
Plan Ahead
As with any part of co-parenting, planning is vital to a successful strategy. Holiday visitations comprise numerous details that must be acknowledged in advance for your family to have a stress-free experience. Some components may include which relatives will be visited when, either parent’s travel plans, school events that can not be missed, and times of family celebrations. Communication is critical when scheduling these details, and all family members must be on board to ensure the holidays run as smoothly as possible.
Create New Traditions
While we all hold traditions near and dear to our hearts, sometimes the best way to relieve the stress of the seasons is to create new traditions for our families. Co-parents can get so wrapped up in keeping things in some sort of normalcy for their children that they can fail to see when traditions have broken down before their very eyes. Don’t be afraid to create new traditions with your children that boost their spirits instead of prompting dread or uncomfortableness. New traditions bring about new memories together, which is the most important thing for any co-parent.
