CHILD ARRANGEMENTS
If your relationship has broken down and you have children, you will obviously be concerned for their well-being during the separation process and afterward. During all the practical considerations that a separation or divorce involves your child’s emotional and physical needs obviously are of paramount importance to you and, therefore, to us.
Our family law team is experienced in helping parents and families decide the arrangements for their children following a relationship breakdown.
Christmas holiday arrangements
More than any other time, Christmas can be difficult for newly separated families who naturally want to spend as much time with their children as possible. If you do not have plans in place, now is the time to start. Talk to your solicitor now so they can help you put arrangements in place and agree to a timetable with your ex-partner. This may be spending some of the Christmas holidays with you and some time with your ex-partner or maybe even the whole of the festive period with one parent and the next year with the other parent. The decision can depend on what works best for your family, your children’s ages, and your location.
Where is your focus?
It is important to focus on the children and make the new type of Christmas positive for them – they may have two sets of presents and two types of Christmas day. Ask them what they would like, especially if they are older. Share the plans with your children so they will know what is planned for the holiday. Maybe even create a wall calendar to illustrate what you have planned.
Are you being fair to the other parent?
If you are newly separated it may be very difficult to not spend the whole of the Christmas holidays with your children. Are you happy with the proposed plans for this year and next? Is there anything that needs to be reconsidered? Are the plans fair to both of you so you both see the children for a fair amount of time? If not, maybe you should reconsider the plans. Communication is vital so that you do not duplicate presents for your children.
What happens if plans change?
Sometimes plans may have to be changed but last-minute changes can cause feelings of disruption and uncertainty for children. Flexibility is often an essential part of child arrangements; however, it is important to maintain consistency and provide stability for your children.
Get advice early
It is important to seek advice early in the run-up to Christmas as the season can be a very busy time and organising a co-parenting schedule may not be easy especially if you find it hard to talk to your ex-partner. We are here to help and if you are struggling to put plans in place this year, please talk to one of our family lawyers who can assist in negotiating an agreement between you.
Please contact us on 01492 874774/596596 for help and advice on all #family #law matters.
Photo credit: Joseph Gonzalez #unsplash
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