School is out and summer is here. For many of us this is an exciting time of year; however, for parents who are going through a divorce it can be extremely stressful.
Consider the circumstances of parents who are separated and trying to raise children in two separate homes. As you can imagine, the allocation of summer time-sharing with children and each parent can be very difficult. Many parents use the school calendar to guide them in establishing a time-sharing schedule and many of these schedules are highly detailed and specific. The key problem is that this level of specificity is often omitted for summer time-sharing. Often the parties simply agree to “equally divide the summer.” While this is perfectly acceptable, the failure to decide pick up and drop off locations (when school in not in session), summer camps, summer programs and vacations can cause a great deal of frustration for all parties involved.
Let’s consider something as simple as Fourth of July celebrations. The Fourth of July falls in the middle of the summer and many families have parties, events and gatherings that are important family traditions. For parents that are separated the simple decision of where the children will spend this one day can invoke considerably hostility. Working to resolve this matter in the spring is always advisable yet so few actually follow through with this seemingly simple task or have a detailed parenting plan that will avoid these issues in the future.
It is always best to work diligently, together, to resolve potential time-sharing conflicts prior to the commencement of the summer. Make plans and properly notify the other parent of said plans as far in advance as reasonably possible. Most importantly, behave as adults, not adolescent children. Do your best to ensure that those around you behave in the same manner. So often the parents, family members and friends behave in a spiteful and immature fashion with total disregard of the negative impact this has on the children. Use your best efforts to refrain from behaving in such a childish manner to give your children the best summer they can have free from unnecessary stress.
If you are worried about potential summer time-sharing conflicts and desire to leave the fireworks to the professionals, please contact us and let us begin working to help you today. For more information on time sharing issues please contact the law firm of Schwam-Wilcox & Associates.
