Spring has sprung, and that means that summer is just around the corner. If you have children in school, then you know that summer vacation is approaching quickly.
The last year has been a little unpredictable, and there is a chance that your custody plan has had to be pretty flexible. If you’re looking to get into a more stable routine, the upcoming vacation months may be a good time to start.
Summer vacation is a great time to try new custody schedules
Summer vacation is a good time to try some new scheduling options for your children. Why? They aren’t in school, so they may have more flexibility in their schedules. They don’t have as many responsibilities in the summer, so they are more available to get used to a schedule without as much stress.
Some summer scheduling options that parents may try include:
- Daily pick-up and drop off schedules, which work well if one parent is working at alternative times from the other
- Bi-weekly pickup/drop-offs
- Alternating weekend custody plans
The good thing about custody in the summer months is that your children have time to adapt. If there is a new daily pick-up/drop-off schedule you’d like to maintain into the school year, for example, you may want to try it now. If there are any hiccups in the plan, you’ll have time to work them out and figure out a solution without a rush to make sure your children are getting to school on time or making it to extracurricular activities after a long work day.
Summer is also a good time to test out alternatives for when you can’t be there. For example, if you need to hire a new babysitter or want to try out a daycare or day camp, getting your children used to these changes when they don’t have the stress of activities and schooling is an excellent option. Then, when the school year does roll around, they’ll be more comfortable with the schedule you’ve been working with and be more likely to adapt to adding school back into their routine nicely.
