Most kids can hardly wait for summer break. They look forward to sleeping in a bit, spending time with friends, having fun at the beach or theme parks, and going on vacation. Without the daily structure provided by school, summer time-sharing can present challenges for many parents and some extra difficulties for families experiencing divorce or separation. The best way to ensure smooth sailing during your family’s summer, is to have a thoughtfully drafted parenting plan which takes into account the unique circumstances of your family. Most parenting plans in Florida are agreed to by the parents during mediation. When the parents don’t agree, the Family Law judge will order a timesharing schedule deemed to be in the best interest of the children involved. Below are some things to consider both before and after your family’s timesharing schedule is ordered.
1. There are several possible summer timesharing arrangements. The ideal summer schedule for your family will depend on several factors, such as the physical distance between the parents’ homes, the work schedules of the parents and whether those schedules change during the summer, and the age and developmental needs of the children. The benefit of increasing the timesharing with each parent before rotating to the other parent is fewer exchanges which, in turn, can allow for greater chunks of time for vacation, while reducing the shuffling of the children, transportation costs, and stress of interaction between parents whose relationship might still be strained. On the other hand, the ages and developmental needs of the children might call for more frequent exchanges, e.g., younger children may not do well with longer intervals between visits with each parent. Parents can agree to a progressive summer time-sharing schedule which changes as the children grow.
- One option is to simply maintain the same timesharing schedule in effect during the school year, perhaps also adding a provision for each parent to have an extended period of time for summer vacation with the children.
- Another option is to extend the time the children spend with a parent before rotating to the other parent, e.g., if children spend time at each parent’s house during each week of the school year, summer time-sharing could allow for a weekly or even every other week rotation.
- Summers could also be split in half with the children spending the first half of their break with one parent and the second half with the other parent.
- The entire summer break could be rotated with one parent having the children in even year summers and the other parent having the children in odd year summers.
- If one parent has the majority of timesharing during the school year due to the parents’ work schedule or physical distance between the parents’ homes, children could spend the majority of time during the summer with the other parent, while still providing for vacation time for each parent with the children.
2. Communicate with your co-parent. To avoid confusion and minimize stress, parents should start communicating about summer arrangements well in advance of the summer break. Topics such as childcare, vacations, summer camp, summer school, stays with grandparents/extended family, etc. should all be hammered out early.
3. Remain flexible. While a carefully drafted parenting plan can help minimize stress and conflict for the entire family, unexpected issues and opportunities can arise. Parents can always agree to adjust the parenting plan, including the time-sharing schedule. Your willingness to adjust in response to your co-parent’s request for a schedule change will likely influence his/her response when you want to take the kids to that summer concert scheduled during your co-parent’s time-sharing.
4. Keep the focus on the children. Co-parenting can be challenging. Keeping the focus on the children can help parents make decisions based on what’s best for their children, rather than on any lingering post-divorce/separation resentment toward the other parent.
If you’re in need of a time-sharing schedule which reflects the unique circumstances of your family, call us and schedule a consultation with one of our experienced Family Law attorneys.