Divorce can make holidays difficult for your family. You might want to have your children for Christmas, for example, but be unable to because of your custody arrangements. Fortunately, there are ways for you to handle the holidays, so you and your children get the most out of them.
One major concern among parents during the holidays is that they aren’t seeing their children on the actual date of holiday itself. Some worry that this may influence their children negatively or that it makes them look like they’re bad parents. The truth couldn’t be further from that. Parents who take time to have holiday events on different days and who are willing to compromise are teaching their children problem-solving skills to handle difficult situations.
It can be hard to imagine having an entire Thanksgiving dinner twice for your family, once with your child and once without, and you may not want to rush from house to house that day. The solution may be that you need to have your Thanksgiving plans on a day other than Thanksgiving Day itself. Another option is to alternate years for Thanksgiving, making your own plans on the years your child isn’t with you.
Some parents go as far as to make new traditions with their children. On a day around Thanksgiving, consider doing something special with your child, like participating in Black Friday shopping or going to see a movie together. Making the day special is all that’s necessary to show that you are willing to take time to be with your child during the holidays.
Not every custody plan is right for every family. If you need to work out this year’s holiday, your attorney can help you and your ex make a decision.
Source: Huffington Post, “Coping With Divorce at Thanksgiving,” Jackie Pilossoph, accessed Nov. 14, 2017
