Parenting Time During School Vacations

As children get older and start attending school, parents who are not living together will have to determine how/if they will amend their parenting plan to accommodate school vacations (if a provision for same has not already been included in a temporary order or judgment). There are many ways to divide vacation time between parents, and there is no "wrong" answer so long as the parents are doing what is in the children's best interest. Most parents will alternate school vacations each year, so that in odd years parent A takes the children from Monday through Friday while parent B takes the children in even years. Other parents may decide to split the vacation in half, so that  parent A has the children from the last day of school through mid-week, while parent B takes the children from mid-week through the Monday morning that school reconvenes.

For the most part, agreements or court orders made regarding vacations supersede the regular parenting schedule. So if during the school year parent A has the children every other weekend from Friday evening through Monday morning and for an overnight each Wednesday, but the parties have agreed to alternate school vacations each year, parent A may not have any vacation time with the minor child(ren) if it is not his or her vacation year.  While this may seem unfair at the time, it ends up working out over the years. However, if going so long without seeing a parent would be detrimental to the child(ren), the parents can agree to include a mid-week visit with the non-vacation parent, or to give that parent the weekend immediately following or preceding the vacation.

February school vacation is fast approaching, and it is best to reach an understanding of how the vacation week will look like as soon as possible. If the parties are unable to come to an agreement, a party can seek assistance from the court.


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