Co-parenting requires you to put the needs of the children over your own desires. This can be rather difficult to handle during the holidays when all you want to do is spend time with your children.
While there’s still a little time before the busy winter holiday season, now is the best time to start thinking about how you’ll handle those special days coming up. Here are two suggestions that can help:
Be realistic about the schedule
It’s easy to come up with a holiday schedule that you think will work, but you’ll likely need to be flexible as the holidays approach. Your children should be able to spend time with both sides of the family.
This could mean that you and your ex both need to be prepared to change the schedule to accommodate family members who are coming in from out of town.
Plan for new traditions
Some of the traditions you had before might not work now. You and your children can work on coming up with some new ones. Going out to see holiday lights and having hot chocolate at home afterward might be something to consider.
It may take trial and error to determine what everyone enjoys, but this is a good time for rebuilding.
Make sure you review the parenting plan so you know exactly what’s supposed to be done during the holidays. If you realize that the current plan isn’t suitable for the children any longer, a modification might be in order. Work with someone who’s familiar with situations like yours so they can help you find creative solutions to the current issues.
