As the countdown to summer advances, your mind may be turning to a trip away with the kids. If you are divorcing, then it’s likely you won’t be traveling with their other parent this time.
The following tips can help things go smoothly.
1. Get the other parent’s consent early
Unless your planned trip away with your child falls squarely within your scheduled parenting time, you will need your co-parent’s permission. If you wish to take your child outside of the country, you will need that permission in writing to show to border control staff. You might even want something in writing if you travel out of state, in case a police officer or airline wants to be sure you are not kidnapping the child.
2. Enable contact with the other parent
Staying in touch with people who are away is simple with modern technology, and that means it is often expected. Talk with your co-parent and child about how and when they want to keep in touch with each other. Some will be happy with a simple check-in to say you’ve arrived safely. Others may want daily contact by a quick video call. Planning this reduces the chance that anyone rings at an inconvenient time or gets concerned when their calls are not answered immediately.
3. Remember, it works both ways
A bit of give and take can help your co-parenting relationship. Allowing your co-parent to eat into your scheduled parenting time to take a longer trip with your child, for example, makes it more likely they’ll make concessions when you ask.
By considering these things early, you can include language in your parenting plan to account for this and future summer trips with your child.
