Happy Holidays

It has been a busy and tiring year but fortunately the summer school holidays are not too far away. Have you and the other parent planned your holidays with your child/ren? What are the children doing? Where are they staying? Are they staying with mum or dad? How much time will they spend with you? So many questions that can cause you so much stress.

Everyone wants to relax and enjoy the long summer break with the children. Children don’t want to be caught in the middle of parenting disputes. There is so much to do – interstate or overseas trips, days at the beach or just chilling at home! The holiday period doesn’t need to be stressful. These can be great enjoyable times that you can spend with your children if you and the other parent can take some time to organise and plan in advance.

Here are some tips to help you:

• Talk to the other parent well in advance and discuss how you will split up the holidays so that each parents gets to spend time with their loved ones. Make sure you both agree on when the holidays start and when they end. Are there any special occasions such as birthdays during the holidays? If so, how will you share the time on this particular day? You want to focus on what is best for your child/ren and to maximise their enjoyment during the holidays.

• Apply for annual leave – this is important if you want to be at home to spend time with your child/ren. If you are not able to apply for leave for the entirety of the period, ensure you have made arrangements for your relatives to spend some quality time with the child/ren.

• Make the most of each moment with your child/ren. Be with them physically, mentally and emotionally. Let them enjoy the time with you without feeling guilty that they are not spending time with the other parent. It is important for them to realise and understand that the time they have with each of you is special in its own way and for them to make the most of it.

• Be prepared. There will be times when something comes up, someone gets sick. There might be times when your child/ren expresses a wish to change the arrangements one day. It is important for you to be prepared and flexible in the event you need to change arrangements.

• Communicate effectively. Ensure there is effective communication between you and the other parent during the holidays to allow things to progress smoothly. It is less stressful for the child/ren if they can see that their parents can communicate without hostility with each other for the benefit of their child/ren.

• Respect the other parent. Most times parents who are co-parenting have similar routines but there are times when routines differ. Respect the other parent’s routine but discuss it and work out what boundaries you both agree on, what bedtime should be followed and what is appropriate for the child to do so that there are no significant inconsistencies for the child/ren and the transitions between households are easier.  

Should you wish to discuss your Family Law Matter with one of our experienced solicitors please contact us on 8525 2700, or click here to request an appointment with one of our Family Law Team.

Article by Shweta Kumar
Photo by Kong Jun on Unsplash