How To Navigate Memorial Day If You're Divorced

The negotiations and disagreements don’t stop once the divorce and child custody agreements do. In fact, you and your ex-spouse will likely be met with many more custody decisions along the way. One of these is who gets the children for certain holidays. Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer for most families. It is the end of the school year and a lot of parents have the day off from work. What is the best way to negotiate Memorial Day for divorced parents?

Custody Options

Here are a few custody options that may work for you and your family:

Split The Long Weekend

With a longer weekend, it may be easier to split it equally, For example, one parent may get the child beginning Thursday evening until Saturday morning, while the other parent then gets the child all Saturday and Sunday. Some parents may choose to just split the actual holiday, where the child is with one parent in the morning and another in the evening.

Swap Holidays

Many families recognize the importance of holidays and in order to be fair, they may decide to swap holidays equally throughout the year. This means that the child may spend New Year’s Day with one parent, then Easter with the other. For Memorial Day, they may spend it with one parent, and then spend the Fourth of July with the other parent. This means that the next year, the other parent will have the child for the holiday.

Employment Considerations

Memorial Day is a day to celebrate our military. If either parent is an active or retired military member, it can be a nice gesture to let the child be with them. This, however, can get tricky if both parents are military members. In this case, parents might decide to swap years.

Special Plans

Perhaps Memorial Day is scheduled with one parent, but the other parent has special plans, such as travel plans. They may request changing the schedule so the child can attend the trip. Family reunions are also common over the long weekends, which may require parents to change their custody schedule.

Of course, it is important to always keep New Jersey laws and your previously agreed child custody agreement in mind. If you previously agreed to your child spending certain days, or weekends, with the other parent, then there may be little room for negotiations.

New Jersey courts do usually prefer joint custody, but this is not always an available outcome in all situations. Even with a 50/50 custody agreement, a schedule is usually in place. Just because one parent decides to travel over the holiday weekend, if it isn’t their usual weekend with the child, they will still need approval from the other parent.

When to Consider Working With a Professional Negotiator

Learning to negotiate with an ex-spouse takes some work. However, some relationships, regardless of efforts, can be difficult to manage. Some divorced partners decide to skip the emotion-filled conversations and negotiations altogether and leave it to a professional. You can take advantage of many of the same benefits you did as when working with a divorce lawyer.

Contact a Cherry Hill Family Law Attorney for a Consultation About Child Custody in New Jersey Today

If you are thinking about filing for divorce, or if you have already started the divorce process and are dealing with another matter such as child custody, child support, or division of assets, you need to speak with a qualified attorney. The New Jersey family law attorneys at Cordry Hartman LLC represent clients throughout the state, including Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Marlton, and Voorhees. We understand how challenging this time can be for you, which is why we will fight hard to protect your interests, and the interests of your loved ones, throughout the legal process. Call us at (856) 235-4511 or fill out our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation. We have an office conveniently located at 68 E. Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.