CONSIDERATIONS FOR PARENTING TIME SCHEDULES THIS SUMMER
Parenting time schedules are crafted to meet each family’s unique situation. Whether you’re thinking of a new parenting time arrangement or about transitioning to a summer schedule, below are four things to think about for the upcoming summer.
Summer Care
Once children start school, a common question is how summer childcare is handled. Are the kids able to return full-time to a former childcare provider, will a family member such as grandma or grandpa be helping, will they attend a summer program, or will one parent provide for their care? What is best for one family may not work for another. It is important to consider your options and be flexible. Put the focus on what will be best for the children. If you have a court order, review the order. What does it say? Does your order have a “right of first refusal” paragraph, meaning if one parent can watch the children, the other parent gets the first option to be the care provider?
Keep in mind if summer childcare is work or education-related, it can be included as part of a child support order. That is because child support consists of three parts: (1) basic support, (2) medical support, and (3) childcare support. If you are the parent that is going to be incurring the childcare costs and there isn’t a current childcare support order or the amount will be increasing, it’s important to address childcare support well before the start of the summer.
Change in Schedule
Some families have different parenting time schedules for the summer and the school year. It’s important to review your order to understand when the schedule changes. Some schedules change immediately, and some give a week or two grace-period. Generally, parents can adjust the parenting time schedule if they both agree. If your child has a big end-of-year project or has an end-of-year activity that may make the change difficult, consider other options. Can you trade time? Can you move back the transition date in the spring and then move it again in the fall? Can you make the transition prior to the end of the school year?
Vacations
If you plan on taking a summer vacation, make sure you know how much time you get and when to provide notice. Some orders require parents to provide 30 days’ advanced notice of their summer vacation time with a child. Others require notice by a certain date. Also, make sure to review how many vacation days you get. Does the order give you a week that includes your regularly scheduled weekend? This means, without the other parent’s agreement, you can’t take their summer weekend parenting time. Don’t forget that most orders state that you can’t take summer vacation over the other parent’s holiday.
Communication
With summer vacations and busy plans, a common question we get relates to how often the other parent can call the children. Is a parent calling too much and interfering with the other parent’s time or is a parent not able to talk to their child as often as they would like. Minnesota law states that parents have the right to “reasonable access and telephone contact” with their children. Generally, this means a parent can regularly talk to their child. Some orders put 15- or 30-minute limits on a parent calling, but children can contact either parent as they feel they need. If communication is an issue, see if there is a set time each day you can set aside for contact. This avoids missed calls and allows the on-duty parent to be able to arrange his or her day around a call.
If you have summer co-parenting questions, contact an attorney at Blethen Berens. We can help you create a parenting time schedule that is tailored to your family’s needs, help you interpret a current order or talk to you about options to adjust or enforce your current order.