Child Custody During the Summer

Child Custody During the Summer

While summer brings hot temperatures and longer days, it can also bring more complications for divorced parents who share custody of their kids. Schedules can change a lot during the summer, which can make arrangements a little trickier. However, if you plan ahead of time and maintain open communication with your ex, things won’t be so bad. Here are some tips for handling custody of your child during the summer months:

Plan Vacations in Advance

The summer is a great time to take your kids on vacation. However, if you are sharing custody with your ex, you can’t just take your children on a trip at the spur of the moment. These kinds of trips have to be planned ahead of time so that there are no conflicts. If you want to take your kids on vacation, try to plan it at least a couple of months ahead of time.

Ask the Other Parent for Consent Before Taking Kids on a Trip

If you want to take your kids on a trip out of state, you must ask for your ex’s permission first. Because you both have custody of the children, he or she has the right to know where you are taking the kids and to agree upon it. If you take your kids out of the state without asking your ex if it’s okay, it’s considered kidnapping.

Communicate With the Other Parent

Even if you didn’t end things on good terms with your ex, it’s still important to maintain constant communication with him or her during the summer months. Keep your ex informed about all your summer plans with the children and any schedule changes you need.

Consider How to Summer Custody Schedule Will Affect Your Kids

A summer custody schedule can be a drastic change for your children. For instance, if your kid are staying with you for a longer amount of time, they miss the other parent and become sad. It’s important to be there for your children and take notice when they seem depressed or angry. Assure them that they can talk to you about everything and that you’ll always be there for them.

Don’t Miss Any Child Support Payments

If your children are spending more time with you in the summer, you may be spending more money on taking care of them. However, that does not mean you should miss any payments or pay less than you are ordered to pay. Doing this will look bad in front of the judge and can jeopardize your child custody arrangement. If you need to change the amount of support you pay, ask your lawyer about getting a child support modification.

While sharing custody of your children can be a little difficult at times during the summer, it’s not impossible. If you follow these tips, you can have a stress-free summer with your children. If you have further child custody questions, consult with a family lawyer Bloomington, IL residents rely on.

Thank you to our friends  Pioletti & Pioletti Attorneys at Law for the insight into child custody.