The holiday season is quickly approaching, and you may feel conflicted about how to share them with your children after getting divorced. Family traditions are important, but this is also a time when new traditions can be made if you and your ex-spouse cooperate with each other.
Don’t wait until the day before Thanksgiving to figure out a schedule. If the two of you can work out a schedule ahead of time, it will ease the tension between you and allow you to create wonderful memories with your children.
Things to consider when creating a holiday plan
Chances are you have traditions in place that you’d like to keep. The same is true for your ex-spouse. You both need to accept that some changes will have to be made to accommodate each other. Discuss with your ex-spouse which traditions you would like to keep and which ones you are willing to compromise. Then, address the following:
- How can you divide the days so that you can each spend time with the children during the holidays?
- You might take the children to your mom’s house for Thanksgiving in the late morning and have your ex-spouse pick up the kids at 3:00 p.m. to head to their parent’s house.
- You might decide to split specific days. Perhaps your children will spend Thanksgiving with you and Christmas with your ex-spouse.
How will you handle gift-giving?
- If your children made a wish list, you could divide the list in half with your ex-spouse.
- You might both consider chipping in to buy one of the more expensive gifts on the list together.
- Think about setting a budget for each of you. That way, you won’t be trying to outdo each other.
While it might not be easy, working with your ex-spouse to create a holiday plan is important. If you just can’t work together, consider seeking guidance to review your parenting plan and go from there.