Celebrating Halloween as a Divorced Parent

 Posted on October 22, 2018 in Child Custody

Halloween is a holiday that is full of precious memories for parents and children. If you are divorced or separated from your co-parent, you may be missing out on watching your children trick-or-treat or enjoy other Halloween festivities. Divorced parents carefully divide their time with the children during the winter holiday season, but you may not have thought about Halloween when creating your parenting plan. There are still ways that both divorced parents can share Halloween with their children

Trick-or-Treating

Both of you can accompany your children for trick-or-treating if you and your co-parent can be cordial with each other for a couple of hours. Focusing on your children may distract you from falling into your typical arguments. If you cannot stand being around your co-parent for even that long, you could plan to switch as chaperones to the children midway through the trick-or-treating. You could also take your children to trick-or-treat in your neighborhood if you live close by. However, they will feel most comfortable trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood with their friends.

Maintaining Roles

One parent may have traditionally taken the lead on certain Halloween activities while you were married. Maybe one of you is better at carving jack-o-lanterns or putting together costumes for your children. Keeping up these traditions after divorce will make Halloween more enjoyable for yourself and your children.

Halloween Party

You can plan your own Halloween celebration with your children if you will not see them on the actual holiday. Encourage your children to come in costume and have Halloween-themed activities ready for them, such as:

• Carving pumpkins;
• Making Halloween treats;
• Playing Halloween games;
• Telling ghost stories; or
• Watching an age-appropriate Halloween movie.

Halloween Events

If you are not up to throwing your own Halloween party, there are several public Halloween celebrations leading up to the holiday. City governments, park districts, and public libraries often hold kid-friendly Halloween events that may include games, stories, costume contests, and trick-or-treating. Popular entertainment venues may have Halloween celebrations. You can visit a haunted house attraction if your children are mature enough to handle it. Some haunted houses have daytime hours that are meant for younger children.

Planning Ahead

It may be impossible to know in advance what parenting schedule will work for a holiday such as Halloween. Instead, your parenting agreement can say that you will discuss adjusting your parenting time to accommodate each other during the holiday. A Kane County divorce attorney at Goostree Law Group can help you create a parenting agreement that allows you to enjoy holidays with your children. Schedule a free consultation by calling 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.popsugar.com/moms/Halloween-Divorced-Parents-36016546