The summer break can often throw a wrench into co-parents’ child custody arrangements. Things can get very different because the children suddenly don’t have school for around three months. The general custody schedule might work very well during the school year, but the arrangement has to be modified or changed to address the summer break.
Parents are often looking for tips to make this go smoothly, and one of the best things that you can do is simply to find an appropriate schedule. Here are three different schedules to consider.
Alternating weeks
One way to address this is simply to have each parent have an entire week with the children, rather than having them go back and forth during the week. This can sometimes give parents a chance to take their own breaks or trips with their children, as well. Having an entire week allows you to plan a significant trip without having to worry about violating your ex’s custody rights.
The entire summer
In some cases, children will live with one parent during the school year and the other parent during the summer. This is most often used when parents don’t live in close physical proximity.
Addressing specific events
One of the best things that you and your co-parent can do is simply to talk about any major events in advance. Where will the children be for the Fourth of July holiday? Do any of them have a birthday? Are you planning to take a trip overseas? The more you and your co-parent can communicate about any variations to the schedule, the easier it is to find a solution that works.
That said, the situation can become contentious. Make sure you know about your legal rights.