In January, divorced parents in Pennsylvania might breathe a sigh of relief at having made it through the holiday season. This can be a tough time for divorced families as they have to find ways to split time with their children and their former spouses. Memorial Day, often seen as the unofficial start to the summer season, is just around the corner and that means another time of the year is here when this time sharing once again becomes front and center in a manner very different to the school year.
Parenting magazine reminds moms and dads that as they plan activities and time with their kids over the summer, they should continue to put their children’s interests first. Focusing on providing a positive experience and summer break for their kids may help to prevent them from going down the path of becoming engaged in a power struggle with their kids’ other parent. Instead of focusing on why the other parent gets to take kids to a favorite place, they should try to praise that parent for creating that special time for their kids.
Even having conversations with the kids about how much fun they are having with the other parent is a good thing as this signals to the kids that they are free to love both parents and to have fun with both of them.
Our Family Wizard also encourages parents to get input from their kids, age-appropriately of course, about what they would like to do over the summer. Having these conversations ahead of time can also help make the experience bettter rather than waiting to the last minute.