What Should I Know About Child Custody During the Holidays?

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Around this time of year, many people are excitedly making holiday plans with their families. However, planning holidays is not always easy if you’re a divorced parent. If you share joint custody of your child, you may wonder how to establish holiday arrangements with your ex-spouse. Read on to learn more about child custody during the holidays or reach out to an Ocean County Child Attorney for trusted legal counseling.

WHAT ARE COMMON ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHILD CUSTODY DURING THE HOLIDAYS?

If parents have joint custody of their child, they can choose many different ways to plan the holidays. Some of the common agreements are:

Splitting the day in half (Ex: Parent 1 celebrates with the child in the morning and Parent 2 celebrates with the child in the evening)
Alternating every other year (Ex: Parent 1 celebrates with the child for the entire holiday one year and Parent 2 celebrates with the child the next year, and so on)
Designated holidays (Ex: Parent 1 celebrates Christmas with the child and Parent 2 celebrates Thanksgiving with the child)
Doubling holidays (Ex: Parent 1 celebrates Christmas with the child on December 23 and Parent 2 celebrates Christmas with the child on Christmas day)

Parents can combine or alter any of these options for the most reasonable agreement. The final arrangement will normally depend on what holidays each parent believes is most important. Holidays you can include in your custody schedule can be birthdays, religious holidays, national holidays, long weekends, summer vacations, and more.

Many parents want their children to be able to spend an equal amount of time with each parent. When deciding final custody plans, it’s important for both parents to put their own issues aside and recognize the needs of their child first. The final decision should be in the child’s best interests.

WHAT IF THE PARENTS CAN’T AGREE?

If the parents cannot come to a reasonable solution, then they’ll likely have to take the argument to court and have a judge decide. In New Jersey, courts tend to favor 50-50 custody arrangements, so the judge will likely decide on a schedule that allows both parents to have an equal amount of time with the child. Of course, in any child custody case, the judge makes the final decision based on the child’s best interests.

Looking for help from a compassionate, effective attorney in your child custody case? The Law Office of Sarina Gianna, LLC is on your side! Contact us today for quality legal assistance.