Doing what’s best for your children during the holidays isn’t always simple when you have a custody order in place. Your children are likely on a schedule where they’ll be at one parent’s home or the other for the holiday, which may make it clear where they should go. However, if they decide that they don’t want to be with that parent or that they want to do something different, can they?

The holidays are certainly a busy time, and there can be unexpected events and activities that come up. Family members could come in from out of town at the last minute, or your kids may have friends invite them to parties.

As parents, it’s your responsibility to decide how to handle these kinds of situations. Will you stick with the custody plan that you have in place without wavering? Will you make an exception if a family member your children don’t get to see often is visiting?

Doing what’s best for your children during the holidays

It’s important to keep in mind that the holidays only come once a year, and there will be things happening that you can’t control. Flexibility in your scheduling may be helpful so that your children can see all the people they care about and who care about them. It may also be necessary to have a firm schedule to make sure you get the time you need with your children.

Talk about this in advance, so that you know what to do when conflicts in scheduling arise. Both parents need to do what’s really in the best interests of their children, so go over a plan that will be best for your kids.