It’s the middle of summer…so if you haven’t already thought about your vacation, now is the time to do it.
There are a couple of ways to include vacation time with your child in your visitation schedule. At the beginning of the year you can block out some actual dates where you get the children for vacation. This is called a specified vacation–because you know the exact dates of when you will have the time. However, if you don’t know the exact dates you want to go on vacation, you can also schedule an unspecified vacation. Unspecified vacation is included in your parenting plan as a set number of days each parent can have the children for vacation. For example, the unspecified vacation clause could read, “Each parent is allowed to take the children for up to 7 days, twice a year for vacation time. The other parent must be given 30 days notice before the vacation is taken.”  So, you can guarantee that you get one or two weeks of vacation with your child. (note–Custody X Change lets you set up both kinds of vacation in the software)
Don’t forget about vacations when you’re setting up your child custody agreement. Having this chunk of relaxation time with your child is important for both of you. It allows you to have some fun with each other and take a break from the routine. Vacations are also a way to even out the time-share percentage between the parents.
Photo via korycheer, courtesy of morguefile.com