How to Celebrate the Holidays in a Separated Family

The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for separated families. Differing commitments, unusual work arrangements and stressful relatives can make this period feel like a minefield of potential battles. However tricky or tense this season may be for your family, here are some important questions to ask yourself as you prepare to manage the holidays in a separated family.

1. Do you have legal arrangements in place?

Often holiday plans come under pressure due to disagreements and last-minute changes. If you have a binding and enforceable legal agreement in place, such as Consent Orders, you can avoid seeing your plans turn to dust. If you’re not sure about your legal arrangements, you can contact our Family Law team to discuss.

2. Have you organised things in advance?

It is best that any changes to your normal routine are planned out ahead of time. This will provide a sense of peace in the lead up to the holiday season and be helpful in avoiding unnecessary last-minute planning and disputes.

3. Where will you meet your former partner to changeover with your children?

The holidays can be a stressful time and these stressors can make some already tense situations dangerous. Think about where you do changeover and consider if it should occur in a public place, like the local shopping centre. Plan the meeting spot in advance to limit the potential for mix ups and arguments.

4. Are you or your former partner taking the children overseas?

If your children are travelling overseas it’s important to have an agreement or Orders in place ensuring that the children are allowed to travel overseas. If your former partner is taking the children out of the country, make sure you know their travel itinerary and where they are going. Some countries are more difficult than others to get your children home from if they stay longer than arranged.

If you think this holiday season will be problematic for your family, we invite you to contact Frank Law for a free first conference to discuss your parenting matter. Unfortunately, the Courts are no longer accepting applications for parenting orders regarding the December and January holiday break, but we are still able to assist you plan and prepare for this season.

This is not legal advice.

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