Summer Time-Sharing Considerations to Make

Many parents opt to include summer vacation schedules in their parenting plans. If you are in the process of creating a parenting plan, or if you are considering modifying your parenting plan, building a special summer vacation schedule into the plan can be an effective way to make summer fun for your child and easy for you and your former partner.

Talk to your former partner and your lawyer about including the following in your summer vacation schedule. If you and your spouse agree to changing your parenting plan, making the modification is simple. If you do not agree, you will have to demonstrate to the court how the change is in your child’s best interest.

Switching to an Alternating Weekly Schedule

If you and your former spouse do not live in the same town, an alternating weekly schedule might be impossible during the school year. But once school is out for the summer, your child’s schedule becomes much less structured. Consider switching to an alternating weekly schedule for the summer, which can give your child more quality time with both parents.

If this is not feasible, consider other schedule modifications that give your child a more equal amount of time with both parents.

Making Curfews Later and More Flexible

In the summer, there are no “school nights.” There are longer days and fun nights out at concerts and carnivals. When you and your former partner are determining an appropriate summer schedule, talk about working later, more flexible curfews into the schedule. This can extend to pickup and dropoff times for your child, if appropriate.

It is also important that you and your former partner are willing to be flexible and that you communicate with each other regularly concerning your child during the summer. If you anticipate being back home from the water park too late to meet your regular dropoff time, let your former spouse know ahead of time so he or she can prepare. Communication is key to successful coparenting.

Scheduling for Summer Camp, Vacations, and Other Multi-Day Events

If your child attends summer camp or spends a week with his or her grandparents each summer, work this into your summer parenting plan. If you or your former partner take a vacation during a specific timeframe each year, make this part of your parenting plan.

Sometimes, impromptu trips happen. And when they happen during your time with your child, you do not need permission from your former spouse to leave the state with your child unless you included this stipulation in your parenting plan. But if you need to move custodial dates around to make your vacation possible, you will need to plan it in advance with your former spouse.

Work with an Experienced Orlando Family Lawyer

Get your family ready for summer by crafting a parenting plan that allows for extracurriculars, vacations, and summer fun. To learn more about creating an effective parenting plan for your child, speak with an experienced Orlando family lawyer. Contact our team at the Law Offices of Steve W. Marsee, P.A. today to set up your initial legal consultation in our office.

Resource:

flcourts.org/core/fileparse.php/533/urlt/rDone905a.pdf