With spring break approaching, you may be planning a quick getaway for your family. But when you share custody of your children, planning trips might not always be the easiest.
Propose a Trip to Your Child’s Other Parent
When planning for spring break, make sure to give your child’s other parent a heads up about your plans. Discuss where you will be going, for how long, and how it may affect the time-sharing of your child. While the other parent will most likely not be going on the trip with you, they may help your child prepare in the days prior by packing, guiding your child to complete any homework needed to be done, and ultimately, they may hear about how your child is excited to go on the trip.
Review Your Custody Agreement
When planning for spring break, make sure to check your custody agreement. If you are not the parent who was given spring break in the time-sharing agreement or it is not your time with the children, then you may need to put your vacation on pause until you find a time where you can take your child during your designated time.
If your time-sharing switch occurs during your proposed trip, discuss with your child’s other parent what they wish to do about time-sharing. They may be open to rescheduling the switch so you can have a longer trip as long as you give up time in the future or they may wish for you to cut your trip shorter so that you will follow the custody schedule. If you and the child’s other parent are on good terms, you could propose that they go on their own parallel trip to the same or a nearby destination so they can share the time with your child.
Tips for Planning
When planning your trip, don’t forget to involve your child! You should ask them what they wish to do for spring break and if it’s reasonable, start planning together. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for your family to make memories that will last a lifetime, so plan something your family may enjoy, like a trip to the shore or to a nearby city.
Bergen County Custody Attorneys
Planning for spring break shouldn’t be difficult after checking your custody plan. Our child custody lawyers at Sherwood, Johnson & Poles can guide you through reading your custody plan and give it a second look to ensure that you are following your plan correctly.
Are you planning for spring break but need a little guidance on shared custody? Call our child custody attorneys at (888) 224-1218 or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.