Holiday Challenges for Single Parents

October 27, 2012 (Press-News.org) Adding to the stress of the holidays for many Texans is the prospect of family celebrations as a single parent. For those recently divorced or separated, this could be the first holiday season when parents have to divide their time with the children.

However acrimonious a split may have been, when children are involved it is not always possible to simply walk entirely out of an ex-spouse's life. Even with negative feelings about one another, it is still important for co-parents to develop the skills needed to work together over the years of child-raising as they share child custody.

Parents sometimes have to disregard their own emotional reactions to one another and instead focus on the child's best interests and well-being. This means resisting any impulse to bad-mouth the child's other parent. Hurtful statements about either parent hurt the child, especially coming from the other parent.

Experts advise being cordial to an ex-spouse. This is a conscious and sometimes difficult choice to make, but in the long run it will develop stronger parent-child bonds. There are immediate decisions and arrangements to make when parents divorce, including child custody, visitation arrangements and religious and educational decisions.

In preparing for the holiday season, parents are urged to think about their children's future memories. If divorced parents want their children's holiday memories to be happy ones, that goal can serve as motivation for them to discuss plans cooperatively to make the children's experience as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. If one parent cannot spend a particular day with the child, that might be a disappointment for the parent, but 364 days remain in the year. Parents can show their love for their children all year round, and not many children would be opposed to celebrating a holiday like Christmas twice in one year.

Parents may not have identical ideas about gift-giving practices and holiday rituals. Each parent should take that fact in stride and refrain from criticizing the other parent's holiday choices in the child's presence.

When the children are with the other parent, there is an opportunity for single parents to create their own holiday experience. It may be challenging, but adults can identify hopes and expectations for the holidays on their own terms and from their own perspective.

If you have questions about how to manage your child custody and visitation arrangements during the holidays, contact an experienced family law attorney in your area for more information.

Article provided by The Perry Law Firm
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