Structure For A Stress-Free Summer

It is time to start planning your summer vacation with your children. Whether it’s a weekend trip to the mountains or two weeks at the beach, the vacation plans will go smoother if you practice positive co-parenting. So, what do family law attorneys in Chandler recommend doing before you plan your vacation with your children?

• Communicate with the other parent. Give the other parent advance notice of your vacation dates and the itinerary. This will ensure smooth sailing and a stress-free vacation.

• If your divorce is pending and you have been served, you will need the other parent’s written permission to leave the state. If you have a parenting time order, you must follow this order. To make sure that you and the other parent are on the same page, you should have a written agreement about how you and the co-parent will share vacations and what notice will be provided.

• Written Agreement: Parents decide by themselves how to share custody and vacations. It is between the parents and has not been approved by the Court. Any disagreements can be taken to and figured out in Court.

• Consent or Stipulate Order: The Court adopts the parents’ written agreement, and this is a legally binding Court order.

• Minute Order: A Court order is meant for parents who cannot come to an agreement on how they want to share custody. The Court will decide custody and parenting time for the parents, and the only way to modify the controlling order is to show a substantial change in circumstances.

Though every situation differs and issues between you and co-parent, whether they be big or small, are inevitable; planning appropriately and positively can only help to ensure stress-free vacations in the future.