The summertime can be a relatively complicated season for divorced parents. To be fair, this is also true for married parents. When the children don’t have school and their schedule changes so significantly, parents have to adjust.
But for divorced co-parents, this can be a bit harder because they are not living together and so miscommunication issues can be a problem. This is why communication is so incredibly important.
Taking a trip
For example, say that you want to take a vacation or a weeklong trip with your children over their summer break. But you share custody with your ex, and the trip that you planned takes up some of their custody time.
If you don’t communicate, there are only two potential outcomes. First, you could take the trip without their approval, which may be a violation of their rights and could put your custody rights in jeopardy. Second, you could call off the trip and stick to the standing child custody schedule, keeping things the same but missing your vacation.
However, with proper communication, you may be able to find a compromise or a solution. For example, maybe you could trade other child custody days to get extra time with your children during the trip. As long as you and your ex talk about this and agree to the new schedule, things can go smoothly for all involved. Just don’t violate a court order without talking first.
Unfortunately, miscommunication is common and parents sometimes find themselves involved in disputes over what their rights are or what the schedule should look like. It’s very important to understand all of your parental rights at this time and to look into the legal steps you can take.