If you’re facing divorce, call 203-936-6772 at LAW OFFICES OF PIAZZA & SIMMONS, LLC to set up an initial consultation.

If you’re facing divorce, call 203-936-6772 at LAW OFFICES OF PIAZZA & SIMMONS, LLC to set up an initial consultation.

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Guiding People Through Divorce With Grace And Dignity For More Than 30 Years

Attorney Anthony A Piazza & Laura A Simmons

Guiding People Through Divorce With Grace And Dignity For More Than 30 Years

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Reducing Holiday Stress Starts With Good Planning

Going through a divorce is stressful. The holidays can be stressful. When you combine the two, it is easy to get overwhelmed. You don’t want your stress to affect your holiday season with your children, however. The good news is that you can take steps to reduce the impact of divorce and shared custody and to enjoy the holidays with your children.

Plan Ahead

No one wants to consider spending any part of the holidays without their children. However, following a divorce, you will likely need to share time with your former spouse. In Connecticut, the courts presume that shared custody is in the best interests of the child, and, therefore, most parents split time with their children. This includes over the holiday season.

When you get divorced, you and your spouse can present a joint custody agreement to the family court judge, which is often preferable to battling for custody at trial. This agreement will include a detailed proposed parenting plan, which will address the schedule for when your child spends time with you and with their other parent. A parenting plan should always address holiday scheduling, as well.

This means that you should always carefully consider your holiday traditions when creating your parenting plan. It can be more difficult to modify a custody arrangement than you think, so take the time to consider what will work best for you, your children, and their other parent. There are many options for splitting holiday time, including:

  • Every other holiday
  • Switching holidays each year
  • Splitting each holiday

Some holidays have celebrations over two days, which means you can plan to each have a day. However, when it comes to days like Thanksgiving, you may not spend the day with your children each year. You should thoroughly discuss what is best for them during the divorce process to design an arrangement that works for everyone.

The holidays can get more complicated if you regularly travel to see family or friends. You should ensure that your parenting plan allows you to travel with your children out of state if necessary. If you take your children on trips without the consent of your former spouse, you can face penalties from the family court.

The holidays following a divorce can be emotionally difficult. However, some future planning can help the season go smoothly. We help our clients plan for future circumstances to make the transition as easy as possible.

Contact Our Stamford Family Law Attorneys For More Information

At the LAW OFFICES OF PIAZZA & SIMMONS, LLC, we help clients plan ahead and reach agreements that work for them and their children. We know how comprehensive parenting plans should be, and we help you cover all the bases to avoid conflict down the road. If you are facing a divorce in the Stamford area, you should never hesitate to call our divorce lawyers to learn how we can help. Contact us online or call 203-936-6772 to schedule your free consultation today.