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Presidents Day Parenting Time During Separation

Presidents Day is the third Monday in February. Originally celebrating George Washington's birthday, it now honors all American presidents. Most schools close in observance, so include it in your holiday visitation schedule.

Presidents Day and other holidays can be particularly challenging during separation (also known as separate maintenance, limited divorce, etc.). Since separation tends to be temporary, many families enter it without a clear plan.

Experts recommend assigning holiday parenting time in a parenting plan — either ahead or during separation. If the arrangements work well, you can agree to follow them after divorce, as well.

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Presidents Day schedule options

You and the other parent can agree to any Presidents Day arrangement that works for your situation. Consider these common arrangements.

Give the weekend parent the extra day

In this arrangement, the child spends Monday with the parent who has the preceding weekend.

Imagine a family who uses the alternating weekends schedule. If Presidents Day falls immediately after the noncustodial parent's weekend, that parent gets the extra day.

Alternate yearly

Many parents alternate who has Presidents' Day each year. Your child might spend the three-day weekend (or just Monday) with you in even-numbered years and with the other parent in odd-numbered years.

Alternate three-day weekends

Parents can choose to alternate three-day weekends within a year. The rotation might stay the same every year or shift.

For example, one parent might have Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Memorial Day, while the other has Presidents Day and Labor Day.

Split the three-day weekend

You can agree to split the three-day weekend evenly or according to your standard division of parenting time (e.g., 70/30).

This is a good option for parents who commit to dividing holiday time evenly or who want to maintain a specific division of overall parenting time. (You can use the Custody X Change parenting time calculator to see how holidays affect your timeshare.)

In this roughly equal division, one parent has the child from 8 a.m. Saturday to noon Sunday. Then, the child stays with the other parent until 8 p.m. Monday.

Split Monday only

If you don't want to change your standard weekend schedule, you can split Monday only. The child spends Monday morning with the parent who has custody Sunday night, then spends Monday afternoon with the other parent.

Use the court's standard schedule

When parents can't agree on their parenting time schedule, the court decides in a custody hearing or trial. Many states issue a standard visitation schedule that includes Presidents Day.

For more information, see our guide to visitation in your location.

The easiest way to make a holiday visitation schedule

There's a lot to think about when you build a holiday schedule. You'll want it to address weekend and midweek holidays, reflect special occasions unique to your family (like birthdays) and work for years to come.

The Custody X Change app makes it easy. Just open your Custody X Change calendar and follow our steps to make a holiday schedule.

To make a custody schedule quickly and affordably, turn to Custody X Change. You'll get written and visual versions that meet your family's needs, as well as court standards.

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