When parents split up or get divorced, they face a crucial choice about how their kids will spend time with each parent. In most cases, they create a parenting plan or custody agreement to keep both parents in their children’s lives, but as kids grow up and things change, these plans might need tweaks now and then.
Seasons changing—like summer holidays, winter breaks, or school vacations—often lead parents to look at their plan again. Adjusting parenting plans for different seasons helps kids keep good relationships with both parents. Here are some tips to think about when you need to make these changes.
1. Why Do Seasonal Changes Matter?
Seasonal shifts, especially for families with kids, can bring new dynamics: school schedules, holiday traditions, and family trips, to name a few. These changes have an impact on how much time a child spends with each parent and make it harder to coordinate schedules.
For example:
- School breaks: The start and end of school terms, plus long breaks like winter and spring break, can change which parent spends time with the child.
- Summer vacation: Long periods during summer often let parents spend more time with their kids without school or after-school activities getting in the way.
- Holiday seasons: Family traditions, religious events, or travel plans during winter or other holidays often require changes to the usual parenting schedule.
Changing a parenting plan to fit these shifts makes sure both parents can keep a close bond with their child while also keeping things stable and routine.
2. Common Seasonal Changes to Think About
Here are some examples of seasonal changes that families make to their parenting schedules:
- Summer Custody Schedule: Many families choose, and the Texas standard possession order includes, an extended summer vacation schedule. This allows one parent to have the children for a longer time if that parent has more flexible vacation time or can take time off work. The standard possession order gives at least a month of possession to the noncustodial parent, but parents can agree to a different plan. Parents might decide that the child spends six weeks with one parent during the summer. The other parent could then have extended weekends or shorter visits.
- Holiday Parenting Time: Big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s need changes to the regular parenting schedule. Parents could switch holidays each year, split the day down the middle, or plan their time around family customs.
- School Breaks: Spring break or winter holidays need a plan to divide time. One parent might get the first part of the break while the other gets the last part, or parents might agree to switch years. These breaks often go together with big holidays.
- Special Occasions: Parents often view birthdays, school graduations, and other big events as separate holidays. They work together to decide how to split these occasions. The solution for many is for the parent who doesn’t have the child that day to get some time with them during the event. This helps both parents take part in these important moments.
3. Key Things to Think About for Season-Based Changes
When you’re adjusting your parenting plan for different seasons, you need to keep several important points in mind. This helps to ensure the changes benefit your child and steer clear of needless arguments:
- Consistency for the Child: Kids do well with routine, so any changes that come with seasons should try to keep things regular where they can. Let’s say your kid eats dinner with one parent on a certain night of the week. Try to keep this going even during school breaks to avoid mix-ups. Changes should only last a short time and parents should tell kids about them ahead of time.
- Communication is Key: To make changes to a parenting plan work, parents need to talk with each other. Both should chat about the changes way before they need to happen. This helps stop arguments at the last minute and keeps fighting to a minimum.
- Focus the Child’s Needs: The child’s emotional, social, and developmental needs should guide any changes. For instance, a child might need extra time with one parent during a school break if they have close family ties or a special tradition with that parent. Also, any travel plans need consideration if they involve long flights or lots of time away from the other parent. Keep in mind that your child’s needs will change as they grow. Young kids might need a more steady routine, while older ones might want more say in their schedule. Any changes with the seasons should match your child’s age and maturity.
- Flexibility and Compromise: Parenting plans often need some give and take when it comes to changing schedules for different seasons. Take holidays, for instance. One parent might agree to switch their holiday time so the other parent can take the kids on vacation. Being flexible helps make sure both parents stay involved in their children’s lives.
4. How to Make Seasonal Changes Official
After parents agree on seasonal tweaks to the parenting plan, they need to document these changes. Here’s how to make those modifications official:
- Change the Current Order: If the change is big, like switching the primary parent in the summer, you might need to update the existing parenting plan or custody agreement. This involves filing a petition to modify the underlying order.
- Short-term Agreements: For smaller adjustments, a temporary parenting agreement might do the trick. This should spell out the exact dates and times the child will be with each parent during the seasonal shift. It’s best to have these agreements on paper, not just talked about.
5. Tips for Co-Parenting During Seasonal Changes
- Plan Ahead: Begin talks about seasonal shifts well before they happen, particularly for holidays, vacations, or summer timetables. Early planning ensures everyone agrees on the details.
- Respect Each Other’s Time: While spending time with your kids matters, it’s just as crucial to honor your ex-partner’s schedule and plans. Finding a balance is essential for effective co-parenting.
- Stay Flexible: You can’t predict everything in life. If sudden changes occur, try to adapt and work together to find answers that put your child’s needs first.
Conclusion
Making changes to parenting plans as seasons change is a normal part of raising kids together after a split. If you communicate, stay flexible, and put your child first, you can make sure your kid keeps strong ties with both parents.