{2:48 minutes to read} Separation and divorce often walk hand in hand with disruption and chaos, not to mentionDivorce and Co-Parenting During the Summer fear, anger and a lot of sadness. In the midst of dealing with all of these emotions, when there are children, parents have to give much thought to where the children will live, how much time they will get to spend with them, and how to help them manage their own emotions.

We have written other articles about parenting plans, but in this article, I wanted to specifically address summer vacation and how parents may need to be more flexible with each other and the children.

When creating parenting plans, different considerations must be applied to the summer versus the school year. While working parents may only have 2-3 weeks of vacation, the children will be out of school for over two months. Activities will vary depending on the age and interests of the children, as well as the availability of the parents.

Here are some of the summer issues that parents may need to address:

  • Sharing time with the children when they are not at a sleepaway camp;
  • Coordinating vacation time with the children;
  • Handling additional baby-sitting expenses while the children are out of school;
  • Handling additional expenses for summer activities;
  • Integrating what the children want to do with the parent’s ideas of what the children should be doing;
  • Dealing with children who may not want to have organized activities. (Teenagers often just want to “hang out” with their friends.)
  • Scheduling children’s vacation time with grandparents;
  • Will time with the paternal/maternal grandparents impact the father’s/mother’s vacation time with the children? Or will it be considered “neutral time” like summer camp?

Each family situation presents a different set of issues. Mediation offers families the opportunity to share and brainstorm all of the various scenarios and find the best ways to handle them. I have helped many parents work through summer challenges and come up with creative and individualized plans that the whole family can live with.

If you or anyone you know has questions regarding creating parenting plans for unique situations such as summer, please reach out to me at (917) 881-5206.

Jennifer Safian

Jennifer Safian

jennifer safian. divorce and family mediator
divorce and family mediation
upper east side of manhattan (nyc)
new york, ny
(917) 881 5206
jpsafian@gmail.com
Jennifer Safian

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