Dissolving a marriage can easily take a toll on a person from an emotional standpoint. This is particularly the case for any parent of a young child — and especially during the holidays. A couple of tips, however, may help divorcing parents to effectively address the complex combination of the holidays and child custody in Pennsylvania.
In an ideal world, children whose parents have gotten divorced would have the opportunity to spend time with both parents every holiday. The reality, though, is that this may not be feasible. Even if it feasible, conflict can still easily erupt. For example, perhaps both parents agree to let Dad have the kids in the morning and then let Mom have the kids in the afternoon. Mom may show up at Dad’s house at noon only to discover that Dad is just now carving his turkey, which means he is not ready to let the children go with Mom just yet.
In light of the above, it may behoove divorcing parents to come up with a mutually satisfactory parenting agreement that addresses in detail how they plan to handle the holidays year after year. Writing down specifics can help to reduce conflict and chaos when the holidays roll around. It additionally helps to keep the children from being caught in the middle.
Two divorcing parents can create a parenting agreement during an alternative dispute resolution process, such as divorce mediation or informal negotiations. The benefit of generating these types of agreements is that it can be a lot less stressful than fighting over child custody matters at divorce trial. However, whether divorcing parents end up resolving their issues outside of court or have to go to trial, an attorney in Pennsylvania can help a parent to seek the outcome that he or she desires while most importantly focusing on what is in the best interests of the children.
