Holiday wishes and free BC Child Custody Tips from all of us at the MacLean Family Law Group – Photo of Manny Witzman, Articled Student and part-time elf at BC Supreme Court.
BC CHILD CUSTODY PARENTING STRATEGIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Christmas holidays can be a particularly stressful time for newly separated BC Child Custody parents attempting to create normalcy for their children around the holidays. Often, parents are faced with having to determine between them how to divide previously shared special days and moments, without either parent feeling left out or the children being forced to choose between spending time with one parent over another.
We at the MacLean Family Law Group wanted to share some of the successful strategies utilized by our clients in the past during this time of year that we have been told worked for both parents and children in this situation:
1. Using webcam technology. By having one parent attend Christmas morning events via webcam, both parents are given the opportunity to participate in the Child’s Christmas activities. This was particularly helpful for those children still in the wonderment of ‘Santa Claus’ stage.
2. Providing a video-tape record of the Child’s Christmas at each parent’s home where webcam is not available, so that each parent gets to share in the Child’s experiences at the other parent’s home.
3. Creating a neutral 3rd party site for Christmas morning such as a grandparent’s home, where all parties could attend and no one would be excluded.
4. Having the access exchange at the holiday time done by a holiday character, such as Santa Claus or a North Pole Elf. This takes the pressure off of the access exchange keeping the Child distracted and entertained.
5. Taking a family holiday where the parents stayed at different hotels and the Children were able to spend time with each parent over the holiday season in a different setting which took away the emphasis on ‘Christmas Day’.
Some other links that we found on the web which also provide some great information and holiday tips for single parents:
http://singleparent.lifetips.com/tip/20101/holidays-gift-giving/christmas-time/plan-a-special-christmas-meal.html
