It may be too early to put up decorations, but now is a good time to set up family plans for the holidays. Florida parents may know being divorced can be near impossible to navigate and it only gets messier when there are children involved. There are questions that most parents have never had to ask themselves before but become increasingly difficult to answer as the holiday season looms closer.
There are some things that can help ease the stress of this already stressful season. One good way to do so is to open the lines of communication between you and your ex: talk about what the expectations are early on so that when the season is upon us, there won’t be any misunderstandings about who has custody of the kids when. A good way to stay civil is remembering that when you two are polite to each other it is for the kids, so that their already upset world doesn’t get any more difficult to handle. Being clear about the child custody agreement you have with your previous spouse now is a good way to make sure you’re both well aware of the situation before the holidays.
One way to help ease your pain along with your kids’ is thinking about how they view the holiday season. It’s a magical time for many and trying to maintain that magic can be something you guys do together, whether it’s in the form of fun projects or doing the same favored traditions together as always, it can help to give some normalcy to the new, unfamiliar situation of divorce. These projects can provide some relief for you as well, as busying yourself with other tasks may take your mind off of the emotional stress from your dissolution.
And finally, indulge in the small comforts when you know you’re not going to have the kids. A holiday without your children can be really hard and really lonely, so being good to yourself and being open to new things can fill that void. Florida parents who are going through divorces this year would do well to make sure that they understand all of the terms of their child custody contracts. Should there be any questions or concerns about the agreement, working with a family law attorney could help to come to a solution both parties are comfortable with.
Source: The Huffington Post, “O, Come All ye Newly Single Parents: How to Get Through the Holidays Without Singing The Blues,” Christina Pesoli, Oct. 19, 2012