15 Oct Plan Ahead and Establish Holiday Custody Schedules Now

The holiday season is around the corner. If you are in the process of going through a divorce, this could create a complicated situation with your spouse regarding how to split holiday time spent with your children. The earlier you work out these issues, the better. Establishing child custody over holidays and school breaks can be tricky, and you don’t want to complicate your holiday season by leaving these decisions to the last minute.

Here are 4 tips to help you address this situation with your spouse:

• Have an open and honest discussion with your spouse specifically focused on how each of you would like to share parenting time over the holiday season. A good way to ensure this conversation moves in a positive direction is to start by saying your goal is to make sure that both of you get to spend quality time with the children during the holidays. This is an important conversation to have even if your relationship with your spouse is currently acrimonious. Even if your spouse isn’t receptive to having this conversation, making the effort is important and will aid your case if you need to take legal action.
• Try to agree on a schedule that makes sense for you, your spouse, and your children. It is important to understand that both you and your spouse will need to compromise since it is the first time you are trying to determine how to share time with your children over the holidays. In future years, once your divorce and child custody agreements are finalized, this should be much easier.
• Get creative and expect holidays to be handled differently this year than they have been in the past. Prior family traditions may need to get adjusted or skipped altogether this year to accommodate a schedule that works for everyone involved.
• Confirm your holiday time-share plans in writing. This will make it easier to quickly resolve any disputes that arise as the holidays approach.

If you and your spouse are unable to reach an agreement on how to split time with your children during the holidays, Mr. Bloom can help. He will guide you through this process so that you can enjoy meaningful time with your children this holiday season.

Keep in mind that this new phase in your life provides you with an opportunity to create new family traditions that your children will fondly remember for years to come. By approaching this dilemma with this frame of mind, you can hopefully come to an agreement that is in the best interests of your entire family.

If you need assistance with a divorce or child custody matter, please contact the Law Offices of Jeffrey M. Bloom today to schedule a consultation. We serve clients in West New York, and throughout Ridgewood, Bergen, and Hudson Counties, New Jersey.