Coordinating summer activities can be challenging when you share custody of your children with your ex-spouse, especially when there are a lot of events involved. There will always be schedule changes throughout your post-divorce life, but planning ahead can help minimize them. Here are several tips we can share with you to help with your summer scheduling needs:

• Talk openly and honestly about the times each of you need.
• Consider what is best for the kids, don’t use them as pawns.
• Transition custody at a fun place, like an ice cream store or a park where they can play.
• Avoid last-minute changes unless there are good reasons
• When your ex has the kids, take some time for yourself
• Work on summer daytime childcare needs now
• Start early and take into consideration everyone’s agenda before making final plans
• Lower your expectations and remove the fake/staged social media vacation pictures.
• Some of the best family times are the ones that are not planned in everyday life. It’s not necessarily in grand gestures.
• Don’t feel like you need to one-up or feel less than your ex about the summer activities you are planning with your children

Working together by communicating is very grounding for children of divorce to see their parents working together for their betterment. If both of you are struggling to find common ground and a plan that works for everyone, consider seeking help from professionals who can provide guidance and support.

Collaborative divorce mediation is an amicable approach instead of a court-litigated divorce. In collaborative divorce, divorcing couples work with a team of professionals and mediators to reach an agreement. This process emphasizes cooperation and communication, reducing the conflict and stress often seen in court battles and allows for more creative and flexible solutions

At Peace Talks Mediation Services, our custody mediation and parenting plan mediation services assist divorced, divorcing, and never-married parents in working together to develop a child-centered custody plan and improve their ability to co-parent. Contact us today!

Note: This information is general in nature and should not be construed as legal/financial/tax advice. You should work with your attorney, financial, or tax professional to determine what will work best for your situation.