Congratulations! You and your family made it through the holidays no worse for wear. It might be the first year after your divorce, or perhaps you’ve been divorced for a while, but you did it. It was tough but you’re on the other side of the holidays and you can get ready for planning for your kid’s next chunk of time off i and how you’re going to deal with your ex during it.
You didn’t really think the planning stopped after New Years, did you? In reality, you have a whole year of navigating time off with your kids and your ex. Since you showed yourself to be strong and capable over the holidays, you may have the ability to pull off one of the more difficult tricks in a divorced family: the combined vacation.
Tricky but worth it
Planning a vacation with your ex over the next sequence of time off for your kid is a tricky prospect and you may not think it’s worth it. To be sure some might not believe it is a good plan, but even so, there are strategies that you can use to make your vacation really pop:
- Setting expectations for the kids: Depending on when you had your divorce you do not want to give the wrong idea. Let them know that this vacation is for them and that you and your ex are trying to give them a great experience with their whole family.
- Setting ground rules for the parents: You got divorced for a reason, and spending time with an ex can be challenging. To head-off any conflict set ground rules for interaction, so you can focus on keeping the vacation a fun one.
- Money: Picking destinations, splitting costs and choosing hotels is a huge part of vacation planning. Skip over all the emotional baggage with your ex and focus on it as if it were a business transaction. Having money issues settled before you travel will make the entire vacation a lot easier.
Vacations are for you and your kids
You might be asking yourself why you would go through all of this just for a simple vacation. And the answer is your kids. A special trip to somewhere far off can be a foundational experience for your son or daughter and you want to be there to witness it. Even if you and your ex can agree on nothing else, seeing your kids smile is an important motivator.
