Child custody orders in Pennsylvania typically lay out schedules for summer. Below are some helpful tips to promote a happy, flexible summer for everyone!
- Understand your Pennsylvania child custody order: before making travel plans, make sure you reread your custody order. Even if you are pretty sure you remember what it entails, it is advisable to always reread it and know what time you have during the summer. Often, custody orders have shifting time periods or alternating time periods every other year. Make sure you are fully informed before scheduling your summer plans.
- Make your travel plans at the beginning of summer: Custody orders often spell out the time periods the children will be with either parent during the summer. Knowing this, it is important to schedule trips in advance to avoid conflict with the other parent’s time with the children. Booking airline or other tickets can be very restrictive if you wait until the last minute. Additionally, if you so happen to have a conflict arise where your trip might bleed into the other parent’s time, they will most likely be much more understanding if you ask way ahead of time about changing the schedule slightly.
- Communicate: It is very important to communicate with the other parent from the beginning of the summer until the end. Being on the same page as the other parent is essential to an effective and smooth summer vacation for both yourself, and your children. An extra tip is at the beginning of summer, outline all of your travel plans and times you will be gone for the other parent in a quick, but detailed e-mail. If there are conflicts and you need to request a switch on a few days, ask the parent respectfully and acknowledge that you know it’s their summer time with your child as well. If you can present yourself as calm and flexible, the other parent will most likely reciprocate.