With the Thanksgiving holiday just days away, divorced parents may be concerned about how to fairly divide time with their children. Although the main event may be Thursday’s dinner, many families have traditions that flow through the weekend. In fact, by extending the celebration through Sunday, Florida parents may have a better opportunity for a more equal sharing of parental responsibility.
Thanksgiving weekend may have traditions of its own, such as dinner with extended family or taking in the early holiday movies and shopping. This may allow divorced parents several options for dividing the week’s festivities. For example, a father may celebrate Thanksgiving Day with the children, and the mother may have the children with her for the rest of the weekend. Another alternative is to divide Thanksgiving Day between both parents, then similarly split the days over the weekend. Of course, this entails more exchanges and may be stressful for the children.
Some parents, especially those who live some distance apart, may simply alternate years. Mother may have the children for Thanksgiving this year, and father will take them next year. This allows the children to celebrate the full holiday with one parent alternately without the disruption of shuffling back and forth.
While the custody plan of many families already dictates holiday arrangements, a parent never knows when special circumstances may create a conflict. It is a parental responsibility to keep the co-parent informed of any potential for changes in a custody order, but this does not always happen. When a Florida parent has concerns about a disruption in court-ordered custody, the advice of an attorney will prove most beneficial.
Source: custodyxchange.com, “Thanksgiving Holiday: 3 Ways to Schedule Custody Time Fairly“, Accessed on Nov. 10, 2017