By Jeffrey Mammon, B.A. J.D., Family Law Lawyer
Often when parents separate they are more focused on the immediate “regular” day to day parenting schedule with their children during the school year. The parents end up spending considerable amount of time, energy and legal fees negotiating a parenting plan that sets out the “regular schedule” when the children are to be with each parent, such as a week about rotation, or 2-5-5 or 2-3-3 parenting schedule, that the parents tend to overlooked the entire calendar year and forget to consider the parenting schedule when the children are off school such as Long Weekends, School Breaks, Holidays, Summer Vacation and Special Days.
It is important that when negotiating the parenting plan that those special holidays and vacations are included in the parenting plan agreement. A good tip is to ensure that the holiday and vacation schedule is discussed and negotiated at the same time that the regular parenting schedule is negotiated and that such provisions for holidays and special occasions are included in the parenting plan. With summer break and school holidays it is a good tip to make sure that the language in the parenting plan is clear that such special holidays and vacation days are to take precedence over the regular schedule.
At times, also overlooked are special days such as celebratory days, such as the birthdays of the parent or children or religious holidays that may be of significance to one or both parents’ faith and important dates spent with their extended family, such as Passover, Diwali, Easter, Eid, Ramadan, etc. A good tip is to make a list of all the important holidays and special days that you want addressed in the parenting plan and to provide those special events and holidays to your lawyer when negotiating the parenting plan so that everyone is aware of those important dates and to include those celebratory days in the parenting schedule.
It is a very good idea that in the parenting plan to have specific subheadings of all holidays and special occasions such as Christmas Break and New Year’s Eve, March School Break, Summer Vacation, Statutory Long Weekends, Religious Holidays, etc. and to list those out in detail and to state the dates when each parent will have the children in their care and that those special holidays take precedence over the regular parenting schedule. This will also be helpful to the parents in quickly finding that section of the parenting plan for ease of reference and that those special dates are clearly spelled out as to when they occur and to when the children are to be with each parent.
A detailed parenting plan will ensure that everyone is on the same page and no misunderstandings as to when each parent is to have the children in their care outside the “regular parenting schedule”. This will also reduce any potential conflict between the parents and also save in potential future legal fees knowing that not only do they have a regular parenting schedule but they also have a parenting plan that covers all the holidays, school vacations and any special dates on the calendar that are unique and important to the family.
Contact our family law lawyers for a consultation if you require legal assistance with your parenting plans.
