As New Jersey residents consider their plans for the holiday season, divorced or divorcing parents may be concerned over family plans. Child custody terms typically dictate when children see which parent during the holidays, and as a result, parents may wish to work toward custody terms that address the holidays. Additionally, parental attitudes during this season could affect how children feel about the situation.
In many cases, parents often alternate holidays with regard to child visitations. For example, one parent may be able to spend Thanksgiving with the children and the other parent will have Christmas or other applicable holiday time. Of course, there may be circumstances particular to the individuals involved that may make such an arrangement unmanageable. As a result, parents will want to negotiate terms that suit their needs.
It is understandable that, under any terms, parents may feel unhappy about not being able to see their children on particular holidays. Nevertheless, parents typically benefit by focusing on the fact that their personal attitudes could affect their children’s views as well. By sticking to agreement terms and reducing the potential for argument, parents may help children maintain a positive environment in both homes. Furthermore, parents may want to ensure that other family members do not try to use the children to gain information about an ex-spouse.
Coming to child custody terms can be difficult under any circumstances, but making arrangements for the holidays can be particularly hard for some individuals. Therefore, New Jersey parents may wish to ensure that they understand their custody terms and determine holiday schedules that fit their family circumstances. If they wish to potentially modify those terms for future holidays, they may want to discuss their concerns with an experienced family law attorney.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “Surviving Divorce: Holidays Can Be Especially Challenging“, Nov. 18, 2015