For children, their birthdays are often among the most exciting days of the year. A child’s birthday is when they are the center of attention. They may receive gifts or enjoy parties with friends and family.
They feel special for the day and may look forward to it for months. Unfortunately, special events have a way of becoming more complicated when parents divorce or begin living separately. There are certain ways for parents who share custody to ensure that birthdays are still enjoyable and exciting for their children instead of sources of stress. The three tips below can help parents keep birthdays special.
1. Address scheduling early
There are numerous different scheduling solutions for birthdays and other special events. Parents can alternate special days. They can split them in half. In lower-conflict cases, they can potentially even plan shared celebrations with the whole family present. Making arrangements in advance prevents conflict from arising at the last minute.
2. Coordinate gifts
Parents sometimes give gifts with ulterior motives, focusing more on outdoing one another than on making their children happy. It is often a better strategy to coordinate gifts so that they work together or at least are not duplicates of the same items.
3. Involve friends and family
When children experience the disruption of their familial foundation, they may need to lean more on other relationships. Close friends, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents are potential sources of comfort. Their presence during a birthday celebration can make a major difference for children who have gone through a difficult transition in the last year.
Keeping the children the focal point is typically the best way to prevent shared custody from destroying the joy of birthdays and holidays. Parents who have experienced legal guidance can more effectively address issues that can otherwise complicate shared custody.