The holidays are coming. What should you not forget?

Summer holidays are probably the most favorite time of the year for all schoolchildren. The promise of camps, vacations, and a break from studying accompanies them since spring. For parents, however, it’s a period often filled with more stress — they must arrange a program for their children, count vacation days to cover the entire summer, and often also count their money to make it all work within their budget. They pay for trips, camps, and, of course, the equipment children need to take with them. Holidays are a challenge for parents even in complete families. For parents who no longer live together, careful planning is even more important. Here are a few tips on what to focus on in shared parenting before the summer begins.

Both parents should have the chance to celebrate their child’s report card

Did the children spend their last school day with you and leave for camp the next day? Don’t forget to show the report card to the other parent — they’re surely just as eager to see it as you were. You can simply take a photo and send it through the chat in app2us. And if at all possible, give the other parent the chance to take the children to an ice cream shop or the cinema. Even outside their regular time, they’ll want to celebrate the end of the school year with the kids. Because in those moments, you’re giving your children the opportunity to create good memories. You will both play an important role in them.

Make an agreement with the other parent

Keep in mind that any parental agreement takes precedence over a court decision. This means that even if you have a court ruling that defines the summer care schedule, you can deviate from it. Plan the holidays in a way that works best for both you and the children. The court order serves well as a safety net when an agreement is difficult to reach. But if you’ve agreed otherwise, you don’t have to follow it. You can then clearly record the agreed summer schedule in the app2us calendar.

As children grow, summer time is often divided into thirds

Sometimes you have an older court ruling that fairly divides the holidays just between the parents. As children grow, they often want to spend part of their holidays doing their own activities. What about summer camps – do they count as mom’s or dad’s time? That time belongs to the child. Even if the child goes to camp, the rest of the holidays can still be divided fairly between parents. For older children who already have their own plans, parents often choose to leave one third of the holidays for the child’s independent activities and share the remaining two thirds equally. Since the summer break always lasts at least 62 days, or roughly nine weeks, it’s not such a complicated division.

Do you need the other parent’s consent?

Are you planning to go abroad on vacation and wondering whether you need the other parent’s consent? Except in cases where the destination country specifically requires both parents’ consent, you do not need permission from the other parent to take a child on a standard, time-limited vacation abroad – for example, to Greece.

However, remember that the other parent has a right to information. You should let them know in advance when you’re leaving, when you’ll return, and where you’ll be staying abroad. Ideally, send the hotel address and flight numbers as well. Not only because the other parent worries about the child just as much as you do, but also because you never know what may happen. If something were to happen to you while abroad, you’d be glad the other parent could travel there and take over care if needed – and for that, they must know where you are.

Be generous and flexible

Are the kids coming home from camp and you’re leaving for vacation the next day? Keep in mind that this can create quite a long stretch during which the children won’t see the other parent. Let them spend a little time together after returning from camp. Children want to share all their experiences and stories with both of you – and the best time to do that is right after they get back.

Preparing great summer holidays for your children is a real challenge – but it’s worth it. And most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy them together!

Photo: Barbora Jiranová