Handling The Holidays With Children During A Divorce

2 December 2016 by Jonathan Phillips

If you're going through a divorce with children, you are probably dreading the upcoming holiday season. At a time when you should be celebrating family holiday traditions, you may be concerned about how you and your estranged spouse will handle your children and their needs.

Rest assured, you're not the first parent to be faced with this dilemma. Divorce proceedings are frequently unpredictable, and when they happen during the holidays, families with children are often the hardest hit, from an emotional standpoint. Here are some tips for handling the holidays with children during a divorce.

Make a Holiday Schedule

Having an organized schedule has never been so important as when you have to handle children during a divorce in the holiday season. Kids can get very anxious when they don't know where their parents are going to be, or where they are expected to go on any given day.

Get together with your estranged spouse either in person or on the phone to make a holiday schedule that is mutually convenient. If your hearing for child custody hasn't arrived yet, it will be up to you to be responsible parents and, at least temporarily, put aside your own feelings for the sake of making a holiday schedule for you and the children. Be sure to hang your copy of the schedule in a location where your kids can easily refer to it.

Be Generous and Flexible

During this difficult holiday season, it likely won't be possible for you to have the kids on all the "fun," important days, like Christmas Day, New Year's Day, or during Hanukah.  More likely, you'll be asked to share that precious time with your children's other parent.

Rather than trying to get the most time possible, be generous and flexible with the arrangements. For example, if the kids are having a great time at dad's, maybe it's possible for them to stay longer than originally planned. If the kids will be having two holiday dinners, don't pressure them to eat so much at your table that they won't be able to enjoy supper with your estranged spouse.

These two tips will not only make it easier for you and your soon-to-be ex during the holidays. They will also alleviate much of the stress that your children will go through during the divorce proceedings. In the long run, handling the holidays with children is easier when both parents put the needs of the kids first. For assistance, talk to a professional like Gordon Liebmann Attorneys at Law.

Share

Search