There is no doubt that having your children home from school during the summer months can be frustrating. In the past, you had one parent going to work and the other staying home to be a stay-at-home mom or dad on the days when the other worked. Now, you don’t have that luxury, because you are divorced from the other parent.
Since summer is approaching quickly and your children will once again be home for the school vacation, you need to come up with a way to make custody schedules in the summer work when both you and the other parent have to go to your jobs.
What do divorced parents do with their kids during summer break?
The first thing that many parents do is sit down and talk about their schedules. For instance, if Parent A has a schedule from Monday through Thursday, then they could potentially have custody on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If Parent B has a schedule where they work from Wednesday until Sunday, then the overlap would only be Wednesday and Thursday.
The parents could, hypothetically, work out a babysitting or summer camp option for the other days. They could also ask family, friends or neighbors for help.
It’s more realistic that both parents will work regular 9-to-5 jobs from Monday through Friday, which is most common. In that case, One parent may choose to have custody through the week, or both parents may alternate weeks of custody. There may be a family friend or neighbor who is willing to watch their children during the day, so they can focus on work.
Alternative options to schooling may help
Daycares, day camps and some summer school programs may also be available, so that your child has a designated place to be when they are not in your care or the care of the other parent.
Summer’s long school holiday can be problematic for many working parents, but it’s possible to get through it with good planning. Start talking about your options now, so that you can avoid trouble once your kids are out of school.
