How to successfully co-parent during the holidays

 Posted on December 01, 2020 in Child Custody

The holiday season can be a stressful time for Texas parents who have recently divorced. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to ensure that you and your former partner do what it takes to provide an enjoyable experience for your children.

Be prepared to compromise

There is a good chance that you might not be able to spend both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas morning with your child. Therefore, it may be a better idea to ask to spend either Thanksgiving Day or Christmas morning with your son or daughter when it comes time to create the holiday parenting plan. Ideally, the parenting plan will be created well in advance so that extended family members can include you in some or all of their festivities.

Focus on the events leading up to a holiday

You may be disappointed that you can't spend Christmas Day with your child. However, this doesn't mean that he or she can't come over to decorate the tree on a specific day or bake cookies for Santa before he makes his trip around the world. Furthermore, it's important to note that most kids don't really care when they get to open their presents. Therefore, you shouldn't feel like Christmas is ruined because your son or daughter opened a gift on the 18th or the 28th.

Try to maintain old family traditions

If possible, invite your ex to Thanksgiving dinner or breakfast on Christmas morning. Doing so can be a great way to strengthen the relationship between you and your son or daughter's other parent. However, be sure to tell your kids that celebrating the holidays together as a family doesn't mean that a reconciliation is on the horizon.

It can be difficult to raise a child with your former spouse, and it may be especially difficult to do so during the holiday season. If you have any questions or concerns about a parenting plan or custody agreement, a divorce attorney may be able to help answer or resolve them.