As the holiday season approaches once again, tens of thousands of divorced couples all over the country will be dealing with the issue of how to handle the holidays with kids. Wired PR News has released a guide to divorced couples dealing with child custody issues through the holiday season. As the article points out, child custody issues make the already difficult and tense situation of divorce even rougher, not only for the parents, but for the children as well. No matter how good a Denver divorce and family law attorney may be, there will be some areas that require the parents to step up to the plate and work together, for the sake of the kids.
Some of the options that the article suggests:
- Work out a visitation schedule that allows kids to see both sides of the family; for example, thanksgiving lunch with the paternal family and dinner with the maternal family.
- Alternate years with holidays instead of days.
- Split up extended holidays, such as Christmas break. The kids can spend Christmas Eve with one parent, and Christmas Day with another (or half of Hanukkah with one parent and half with the other, or any other split your religious tradition allows)
- Consider custodial schedules that maximize time the children spend with each parent. Contrary to the 80’s catch-phrase, quantity time is often better than quality.
Some of these suggestions may seem like simple common sense; unfortunately, when dealing with issues of divorce and custody, common sense often goes out the window, and guides like this can be useful as a reminder that while sacrifices may need to be made, it is possible for parents to amicably divide time with their children during holidays, and still have an enjoyable holiday season. Never forget, if mediation is necessary, a good family law attorney can always help in that area. Attorneys need not only be consulted when there’s a fight to be had—they can act as amicable mediators just as well.
