3 Tips To Help Get Your Family Through The Holidays While Divorcing

Holidays can be especially trying when you and your spouse are in the process of divorcing. However, if you share children, it is important that you are able to work through your differences to avoid spoiling the season for them. Here are some tips to help you and your spouse handle the upcoming holidays while divorcing. 

Integrate Family Traditions

Even though you and your spouse are going through a divorce, it does not mean that some family traditions cannot survive the process. Work with your spouse to incorporate some of your family traditions into your new lives. By doing this, you can help your children understand that you are still a family despite the changes in your relationship with your spouse. 

Plan Together and Ahead of Time

You and your spouse need to work together to create a plan that details where the children will be during the holidays and what activities they are going to do. A plan helps you and your spouse avoid fights in the future. The children also are aware ahead of time what to expect so they can avoid feeling frustrated and confused about holiday plans. 

When creating a plan, it is important to remember compromise is the key to co-parenting. If you and your spouse are unwilling to compromise, you might have to turn to the family court to help create a parenting agreement. Your divorce attorney can help you create a proposed plan and work with your spouse's attorney and the court to reach a compromise.   

Set a Budget for Gifts

Although it might be unintentional, it is not uncommon for parents to overindulge their children after a divorce. Unfortunately, there are several issues with doing this. Not only could one parent end up feeling as if he or she cannot compete with the other parent, but the children could come to expect extravagant all the time, which could lead to a behavioral issue. 

Before buying any gifts for your children, set a budget with your spouse. The budget helps to keep gift-giving even between the parents and children. As a result, both parents do not feel as if they have to buy their children's affections and the children are not taking advantage of those feelings. 

Holidays are manageable if you and your spouse are willing to work together despite the fact that your relationship is ending. Consult with your divorce attorney to determine if there are any legal actions you can take to resolve parenting conflicts if you and your spouse are unable to work together.