The holiday season is a time of tremendous joy, but it can also be a time of tremendous stress—especially for divorced parents who share custody of their children. Between splitting time, coordinating gifts, arranging travel, and communicating with relatives, you may face numerous demands that necessitate collaboration with your ex-spouse. This is particularly difficult for parents who have irreconcilable differences.

Fortunately, your attorney can help. Over on his blog, our AAML colleague Michael A. Robbins offers five simple tips for parents looking for ways to divide time with their children over the holidays. Whatever you decide to do, he writes, make sure to use this time to plan ahead:

“One way to create more stress and potential disagreements is to wait until the last minute to determine how time with children will be divided between you and your ex. When you wait until the last minute to make plans, each parent may have made the mistake of assuming that they would have the child, resulting in a conflict. This can also be confusing to a child, who may then feel as though they have to choose which parent to spend the time with.”

You can read the full article here.

Mr. Robbins’ guidance is helpful, but it only touches on the surface of a complex issue for children and parents. Your legal advisor can help you develop a comprehensive, sustainable custody arrangement for the holidays—and beyond. Get in touch with us today to start planning now.