Family life

How will we share the kids this summer?

A month with daddy, a month with mommy, the whole summer with one of us or we keep things as they already are? Where will the kids go this summer?

Maybe you separated many years ago or, it may be your dreaded first summer to organize separately. Some have many options while others don’t know how they will manage to do anything with the time they have. There are almost as many possibilities as there are families. Let’s take a look at all the options of these parents coping with a separation.

Agreeing

First, as with everything that concerns the children, parents who are separating must communicate and have a lot of good will. Summer holidays are part of the children’s fondest memories and they even dream about it during the school year. Therefore, parents should try their best to show them a good time.

Ask your children what they would like to do. Maybe they will give you ideas and even if you don’t have the time and money to do everything they would like to do, they will surely ask to go camping or to go to the beach and you will be able to plan your free weeks accordingly. If you plan well, you and your ex-husband will probably have enough time to negotiate your holidays early enough to avoid taking it at the same time.

The environment

Some parents split up and live in different cities, sometimes even on different continents. If such is the case, both parents will have to plan more carefully and use their common sense. Are you ready to send your child in New Brunswick or in England for a month? It would be wise to ask the father if he already planned something because he may have spotted amazing options in his area.

Some people also live in an environment where it is easier to have a good time during the summer. For example, if one of the parents lives in the countryside, near a lake where there are many children, your child will obviously want to be there rather than being in a park in Toronto. Don’t take it the wrong way and remember that it is good for a child to spend time outside for once in this cold country.

Summer camps

In most cases, parents will take two weeks each, will take care of the children during these well-earned vacations and will send children to summer camps the rest of the time. Start looking already because most camps already take inscriptions and you have better chances to find a place in a interesting camp if you start looking early.

In short, let’s make sure that this summer belongs to our children, that they have fun and enjoy the sun without hearing about their parents’ headaches! And in return, try to plan ahead if you want to be able to properly relax instead of running about, trying to find last minute places.

Image de Anne Costisella

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