Attorney Brian M. Moskowitz of South Florida stated in a recent article that summer can bring on heightened stress for divorced parents as they try to establish vacation plans with their kids. “It’s unfortunate that what should be a happy time for kids and parents too often becomes a time of contention and aggravation,” Moskowitz says. “The solution, as with most other issues in divorce, is clear communication and planning between the parents.”
Moskowitz explains that two common problems often arise: either a party fails to clear vacation dates with the other, or a parent plans a vacation that conflicts or is not approved by the other parent. What parents should know, is that vacation plans can be established in a divorce settlement. Parents can decide if they will switch off every year or if they will schedule around each other to take the kids on two vacations (one with each parent).
If parents want to vacation in the summer with their children every year, they should establish dates for their trips as soon as January comes around to give their ex-spouse plenty of notice. Moskowitz specifically recommends establishing the plans in writing. “There’s no substitute for preparing and no better way to prevent confusion than getting the plan in writing,” he says. “Ideally, parents do it that way from the first year of a divorce and make it an annual practice.”
As a final thought, Moskowitz reminds parents that even though vacations are fun, they are also important to you and your children. Individual parents should never feel they need to give up their vacation time with thier kids because this time is very special. It doesn’t matter where the location of the trip is, but the time of undivided attention for your child is priceless.
