As divorcing parents of minor children, custody will dominate your thoughts. It’s one of the most challenging areas to find a satisfactory solution to.
One thing to remember is that not every part of the year is equal. The routine that works for most of the year when the kids are at school might not function for summer break.
Here are some options given the likelihood that both parents will need to work:
Use your annual leave to spend time with the kids
Remember you have two sets of annual leave between you, so you can stagger them to cover much of the summer break, even if that means you break the usual parenting time routine you decide on for other weeks of the year.
Be flexible to allow each other to travel with the children
If you want to travel with the children, you will need your soon-to-be ex’s permission, especially if you wish to go overseas. The same applies in reverse. Agreeing now that you will give each other this for an annual vacation avoids each summer becoming a stressful fight over whether or not you can go away.
Split the costs of clubs and activities
While some children may be happy to spend the summer hanging out with their friends or playing games in their bedroom, others would prefer something more active, or need adult supervision. The weeks off school are a great chance to take intensive sports classes or learn new things at a summer camp while freeing both parents to work. These things usually have a cost, so consider now how you will pay for them.
There’s a lot to remember when planning custody and parenting time, so consider legal help to ensure you cover it all.