Child custody and joint vacations

Child custody cases don’t just determine where your child lives or who gets him or her on the weekends. There are many things to consider, such as the summer break from school, holidays, vacations and much more.

It can be helpful to be creative when working on your child custody plan, really putting your child first. One way that some parents have done this is by agreeing to take joint vacations.

It may sound crazy to you at first. Do you really want to spend a week traveling with your ex? Certainly, it’s not for everyone.

One woman told her story of such a vacation, though, and said it was one of the best things she could have done for her child. She was nervous about the trip at first, and then it went better than she could have expected.

She loved that they both got to be there with the child — her son — sharing the experiences with him. He didn’t have to feel like only mom was there or that only dad got to see that part of his life. For that relaxing, fun time, both parents were there.

She also pointed out that it only worked because they both put their love for their child first. They didn’t love each other. They weren’t trying to get back together. They were happy being divorced and happy moving forward.

But that didn’t stop them from loving the child, and that made it possible to make decisions that were solely in his best interests.

Naturally, this situation won’t work for everyone. However, it shows how you need to think about more than just legal rights and obligations when considering your child custody agreement.

Source: Parenting, “Take a Vacation with Your Ex,” Melissa Carter, accessed Aug. 23, 2017