Tips for Divorced Parents to Navigate Through the Holiday Season

 Posted on November 22, 2021 in Divorce

November ushers in the holiday season that continues right through to New Year’s Day. While it is often exciting to think about spending time with family and friends, the holiday season can also cause stress for parents who are divorced and trying to navigate through the holidays with the least amount of impact on their children possible. Michigan family courts understand that children need to spend time with both parents and that includes holidays. This is why it is important to have a parenting plan in place that not only sets a regular parenting time schedule throughout the year, but also addresses how parenting time will be divided during holidays and special occasions.

Arranging Holiday Parenting Time

Most schools close over the winter break, and many parents also get time off from work during this time. Trying to come up with an agreeable schedule for the holidays can sometimes be difficult. The following are some suggestions that can help make coming up with a holiday parenting time plan easier for divorced parents:

• Work with your co-parent to alternate holidays every other year. The child can spend Thanksgiving with the mother on even years and the father on odd years.

• If your child will be with your ex during a holiday, schedule another date for your “celebration.” For example, the child can celebrate Christmas with one parent on December 23rd and celebrate with the other parent on December 25th.

• If both parents live close enough, then split the holiday in half. The child will spend half the day with one parent and the second half of the day with the other.

• Not all parents put the same importance on a holiday as the other. Thanksgiving may be one parent's favorite holiday, while Christmas may be the other parent’s favorite. If this is the case, you may be able to work out an arrangement so that each of you gets to spend time with your children on the holidays that are most important to you.

Resolving Holiday Parenting Time Issues

No matter how hard they try, sometimes divorced parents are not able to reach an agreement for parenting time over the holidays. If this happens, the court will make a decision that they feel is in the best interests of the children. Once this parenting plan is in place, the parents need to work together to ensure that the court’s orders are followed correctly.

Contact a Farmington Hills Family Lawyer

If you are having parenting time issues with your ex, it is in the best interest of your child to work through those issues as quickly as possible. The skilled Novi, MI child custody lawyers at Elkouri Heath, PLC can help. Call 248-344-9700 today to schedule a free and confidential consultation.

Source: 

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(javcljzit1klm2bnrpn0itaj))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-Act-91-of-1970