If there is one time of the year that is more difficult for parents than any other, it’s summer break. When divorced parents have to work and children are sharing time between homes without the benefit of school to care for them during the day, the break can quickly become overwhelming.
For parents with younger children, the problem is trying to navigate their children’s care while working and taking care of other responsibilities that they normally resolved while their children were at school. For parents with older children, not being home to provide guidance or support could mean that they have a lot of free time, and freedom, to get in trouble or to do whatever they’d like without intervention.
What Can You Do to Make Your Summer Vacation Custody Plans Better?
Each year, it’s smart to look at your custody plans and talk about what works and what doesn’t. Many of your upcoming decisions will be made by considering how mature your children are and looking at how flexible your work can be.
For example, if your child is out of school for two and a half months, or right around 10 weeks, you and your ex could discuss how much time off you have and how to split it up to help reduce your need for other child care. For instance, if you can take the next 10 Fridays off of work and watch your child from Friday through Sunday and your ex can cover Monday and all evenings, you may be able to work out a babysitter or day camp to watch your child at the other times.
Some parents save vacation time for the summer holiday. For instance, if there are 10 weeks and both parents have a total of six weeks of vacation available when combined, they might opt to take six weeks off during that break and find care options for the remaining month.
Every situation is different, so now is a good time to talk to your ex about any concerns they have and how your schedules align. You may find that a few vacation days can be put to good use or that you need to invest in a day camp or day care’s services.