Coparents often have a child custody schedule that works very well during the school year. This is because the child’s schedule is predictable. For instance, two parents may decide that they just want to make exchanges every Sunday, so they each have every other week with the child, taking them to school and picking them up at the end of the day.
But the summer schedule can be very different, and it’s important for parents to talk about this and perhaps address it in advance.
A new exchange schedule
For instance, you may want to change the exchange schedule. Does every other week still work, or would something else be more appropriate? After all, parents during the summer still have to go to work, so they may have to arrange for childcare or daycare. These schedules can be much different than the school schedule, so they need a custody exchange setup that addresses these differences and helps things go smoothly.
Using vacation time
Another thing to consider is vacation time, especially if parents also want to take time off work to do things like traveling, camping or simply spending more time with their children over summer vacation. In some cases, a parent’s travel plans may infringe on the other person‘s custody time—such as if someone wants to take a two-week vacation to travel the United States and visit national parks. This can certainly be done, but parents need to discuss it in advance so that they both know what to expect and so there are not any unexpected custody violations or missed exchange dates. As long as parents are on the same page, they can work together and put their child’s best interests first.
Coparenting over the summer may be complex, and it’s very important for parents to understand all of their legal rights and obligations at this time.