If you are separated and you have school-age children, your parental responsibilities agreement should address their school breaks, vacations, and holidays. It is crucial you and your former partner make a comprehensive, detailed schedule that accounts for your child’s academic calendar. Here, our Wheaton & Aurora parental responsibilities attorneys offer four tips for dealing with school vacations in a parenting time agreement.
1. Plan Ahead
Proper planning can go a long way towards making things easier for parents and reducing the risk of confusion and/or conflict. At the beginning of the school year, it is recommended that separated parents review their child’s breaks and vacations and create a detailed schedule for how those time periods will be handled. Notably, as school breaks generally overlap with major holidays, this is a great time for parents to plan for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other important occasions.
2. Collaborative Solutions Often Work Best
For a parenting time agreement to work well, there must be ‘buy-in’ from all parties. When parents can work together in a collaborative manner, it is a lot easier to achieve a workable agreement. Not only do collaborative solutions often work best for parents, but they also can help create a better atmosphere for children. A study in the Journal of Marriage and Family found children are better able to handle parental separation when they are in a positive and collaborative environment.
3. Things Will Change — Open Communication Helps
Even the most detailed and comprehensive parenting time agreements will not be able to cover every issue that arises. A simple fact is life is unpredictable and things will change. For a number of different reasons, it may be necessary for parents to modify their original school break schedule, vacations, and holidays. When a modification is needed, it is crucial all parties clearly communicate with each other and give the other parent as much notification as possible.
4. Do Not Let Violations Persist
Both parents have a basic obligation to abide by the terms of the parenting time agreement. If the other parent repeatedly violates the terms of the agreement, you need to take action to protect your rights. Of course, this does not mean you need to run directly to the nearest courtroom. With minor issues, it is best to start by raising your concerns in a calm manner. Should violations like breaking a portion of the parenting time agreement persist, you may need to escalate the matter. You should never hesitate to reach out to an experienced Illinois family lawyer for guidance.
Discuss Your Case with Our Illinois Family Law Attorneys Today
At Keller Legal Services, our Illinois family lawyers have extensive experience handling parental responsibilities and child time-sharing agreements. To set up a free, completely confidential initial consultation, please contact us right away. We have law offices in Wheaton, Aurora, and Naperville and we represent parents throughout the region.
