Since the holiday season will officially come to a close in just a few short weeks, it might be time to reflect on troubles you and your ex faced so you can prepare for the future. Developing a comprehensive parenting plan that contains contingencies for holidays, vacations and inclement weather that prevents a safe custody exchange can be challenging on many levels. Divorced parents are wise to identify problems early so they can be adjusted for in the future.
Based on the various issues you’ve highlighted, you have options to build a better parenting plan moving forward, including:
- Alternating holidays: It might be easier to simply alternate the holidays each year. For example, during even-numbered years, Christmas is spent at Dad’s house.
- Divide the day: Based on proximity, it might be possible to split the day itself into two parts. For example, Christmas morning is spent at Dad’s house and the afternoon is spent with Mom.
- Celebrate twice: Parents who view the first two options as inconvenient might simply schedule the holiday twice. Christmas is celebrated on December 10th with Dad and on December 25th with Mom.
- Fixed holidays: Different holidays might be more important to different people. Through conversation and negotiation, the parents might ultimately arrive on a plan that fixes certain holidays. Thanksgiving is spent with Dad every year, while Christmas is spent with Mom, for example.
It is important to recognize complications in the current parenting plan and take steps to resolve them. Children thrive on the spectacle of the holiday season and last-minute bickering between their parents can take all the fun out of the celebration.
