Within the next two weeks, children all over Ohio and throughout the nation will officially be on summer vacation from school. For many families, this time of year is particularly complex. Many parents continue to work throughout the summer months and many families are forced to deal with the summer schedules of two households instead of one.

Depending on the structure of your child custody arrangements, you may already have a set summer plan or you and your co-parent may have yet to work one out. In either event, it is time to start refining your plans in order to make this complex time of year as stress-free and fun-filled as possible for both you and your kids.

If you and your co-parent have yet to iron out travel details, overnight schedules, child care, packing lists and other critical vacation issues, now is the time to resolve these challenges. If your co-parent is being so uncooperative that you feel the need to involve your attorney, please contact him or her. Otherwise, you and your co-parent need to set aside some time to speak about these matters calmly, respectfully and in flexible ways when possible.

In addition, it is important to set up a communication schedule between your kids and whichever parent is not present on any given day. If your parenting plan does not already outline such a schedule, stick to whatever schedule will serve your child’s best interests while not overly inconveniencing either you or your co-parent.

Some of these tips are easier said than done, but they provide an important starting point for kicking off your summer successfully.

Source: Findlaw Law & Daily Life, “Top 5 Tips for Child Custody and Summer Vacation,” Brett Snider, June 3, 2014