Most weeks of the year, your children follow a routine dictated by the school and associated activities. When working out child custody in a divorce, you need to work around that routine. Yet, you must also remember some weeks of the year do not fit that pattern — least of all, the summer vacations.
A well-thought-out parenting plan is crucial to providing stability for your child. Yet, if you insist on that same routine 52 weeks a year, your children may miss out on opportunities and lack the care they need.
If your partner wishes to take the children away on vacation, it may cross into the time that the children are due to spend with you. The same may apply in reverse happen if you wish to take them away. A week or two away can help children and parents bond more due to the chance of scenery and change of routine. Having access to a parent 24/7 without that parent dashing off to work or stressing about work is crucial for a deeper connection. It gives a chance to take part in activities together, explore together and spend uninterrupted time together. Allowing the flexibility in your parenting plan for this will be beneficial for you and your children.
Divorce can make looking after the children more complicated in the summer vacations
If your children are young, you need to ensure someone can look after them if you and the other parent need to work. Leaving them home alone would not be correct. It may involve you and the other parent altering your schedules to drop them off or pick them up from daily activities. Or it might mean adjusting your work schedules so that one parent is always available.
Ensuring your children are well looked after during the summer vacations may require extra expenses and co-operation as parents. That will be a lot easier if you have discussed it when making custody arrangements and if you use mediation to settle your divorce amicably.