Are you starting to see Halloween candy and decorations on display in the local stores? Did you recently realize that you didn’t include this holiday in your custody agreement and parenting plan? You’re not alone.
If you and your co-parent share custody and have younger kids that need parental supervision as they celebrate Halloween, then you should start devising a plan for handling the holiday now.
Kids often have the opportunity for multiple Halloween celebrations. There may be activities at school, church and in the neighborhood — and of course, trick-or-treating. That means both you and your co-parent should each have a chance to take part in at least one activity. How do you start to plan?
Your Halloween custody plans should focus on your child
The first thing you should do is find out what your child wants or what plans they have. Kids who always looked forward to trick-or-treating may have decided that they’re too old for it. If you don’t hear your child talking about any plans, ask them what they’d like to do.
Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, there can be multiple chances for you and your co-parent to spend time with them throughout the weekend. If your co-parent is scheduled to have your child that weekend, then you might want to arrange to help out with their school Halloween party. Remember that Halloween festivities can include simple things like decorating the house, carving pumpkins and baking pies.
Talk with your co-parent about Halloween plans
You and your co-parent should work together to ensure that your disagreements don’t dampen your child’s Halloween. You’ll want to discuss what you each will do with your child, even if it’s through a co-parenting app. You should avoid duplicate plans.
It may be appropriate to see if your co-parent is on board with taking your child trick-or-treating together. Just make sure they don’t think this means you’re getting back together – and be prepared for neighbors to talk.
If your child is still young and you and your co-parent are finding it challenging to work out Halloween plans, then you may want to consider adding this holiday to your custody agreement. Doing so will ensure that Halloween doesn’t become a source of conflict and confusion up until your child is old enough to make plans that don’t involve you.
