The holiday season has come and gone. Depending on how your parenting plan is structured, you may be grateful that this season is over. It is no secret that being a co-parent is often a stressful process. You and your co-parent may have butted heads this season over who got to spend time with your children or the specifics related to the time you were compelled to share.

If this past holiday season was frustrating, it may benefit you and your children to begin thinking about the 2015 holiday season now. If your parenting plan is clear about who will have the children this holiday season and you need to modify your plan due to changed circumstances, you will need to act now in order to ensure that your children’s best interests are met.

If you and your co-parent can work out your differences yourselves, make sure to get the modified agreement in writing. Otherwise, it may benefit you to speak with your attorney about modifying either your parenting plan or your child custody arrangement. As modifications of such documents tend to take time, it is generally important to seek a modification well in advance of when you will need to take advantage of it.

The idea of planning for next year’s holiday season may be stressful if this past holiday season was particularly frustrating. However, if you are proactive in your approach, you may be able to save yourself and your children from unnecessary stress and frustration later this year.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Coping With the Holidays When Divorced With Children,” Rosalind Sedacca, Nov. 26, 2014