Summer break can be a great opportunity to take trips and make precious
memories with your children, but custody agreements may make vacation
plans difficult to make. Rather than break your custody agreement or start
a new fight with your ex, follow these tips to make your summer plans easy.
Create a summer break schedule before making plans. Take the time to talk with your ex about your children’s summer break,
and plan where they will spend it. Create a vacation schedule with the
help of a child custody lawyer and have your ex sign it before making
any plans for a trip. The schedule should be submitted to a family court
judge so that there can be no doubts about where your children are this
summer and if you had permission to take them.
Avoid violating your custody agreement. If your custody agreement has geographical limits, make sure that your
trip won’t violate these. If you plan to take your children out
of state or out of the country, your agreement may need to be modified
for the trip. Discuss with your ex about stipulating a modification that
allows for you to travel with your children.
Provide adequate notice to your ex. If you spring plans on them at the last minute, it is more likely that
they will refuse to agree and you will end up with an argument. Notify
your ex of any plans well in advance, and be able to present them with
a clearly laid out schedule ahead of time. A few months of advance notice
can allow them to make their own plans around yours, so that you don’t
have conflicting schedules.
Conduct the exchange of custody in a safe place. If you aren’t on good terms with your ex, arrange to pick up your
kids from a public place where they feel safe. Day care, school, or a
family friend’s home may be an appropriate place to exchange custody.
Make sure your kids can talk to their other parent while on the trip. Communication with both parents is important for children. They shouldn’t
be prevented from talking to their other parent because they are on vacation
with you. Arrange phone calls or Skype calls during downtime, so they
can stay connected with your ex. This will allow your children to miss
their other parent less, and can give your ex the peace of mind they need
to allow you to make plans for next summer.
It can be easy to keep the peace with your ex with some planning. If you
need help outlining summer travel plans that will fit your custody agreement
or negotiating to change your agreement, the Westlake Village child custody
attorney at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Graff has the experience you
need. I am committed to helping you remain active in your child’s
life, and will help you negotiate custody agreements to do so. Contact
the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Graff today to schedule a free consultation.