North Carolina parents who are separated often have conflicts about custody and visitation, and the summertime may be an especially contentious time because of vacation planning. There are several ways that parents can help to avoid having custody disputes during these breaks so that they and their children can enjoy the time off.
Custody orders normally outline how the parents will divide vacation time and time with their children. When a parent is wanting to plan a vacation, it is important that he or she does so as early as possible. The plans should be communicated in writing to the other parent long in advance. If the planned vacations will interfere with the court’s custody orders, it is very important that the communication about them is in writing so that records exist of the discussions.
When notice of the plans is sent far in advance, it may allow the parent to address any disputes before the vacation time happens. As the time nears, it is also important to send reminders about it to the other parent so that the parent can’t claim that he or she didn’t know about it.
If custody orders do not fairly divide time between the parents for vacations, people might want to request modifications of the orders to address these issue. Family law attorneys may help their clients by drafting and filing post-decree modification motions. The attorneys may also be able to negotiate modifications that fairly divide vacation time between the parents. Ideally, the parents will be able to come to an accord on their own without having to go through litigation.