Holiday shared custody
Christmas holidays is a much anticipated celebration. Well, for most families anyway. For some, however, the holidays is a dreaded event for the estranged husband and wife, especially their kids. The stress level is even higher if the annulment is still on process during the supposedly happy times. So, is there a way to manage marriage annulment especially on the issue of holiday shared custody? Below is a list of suggestions or tips on how to make holidays bearable, memorable and meaningful, especially for kids.
- Keep an open communication with your former life partner and agree on a schedule. Even though how mad or hurt you were with your former spouse, you still need to keep civility, at least, for the sake of your kids. Hence, letting go of your quarrel to agree on a schedule for a holiday shared custody is a good start.
- Remember that your kids have the right to spend holidays with your estranged spouse. Your marriage may not work and annulment was seem to be the sane solution. But remember that the annulment of marriage does not mean that the other party or your former spouse also stopped becoming a parent to your kids.
- Make your children understand how annulment will affect holiday celebration for your family. Most, if not all, children are wise beyond their age. So, don’t underestimate their capacity to understand the current family situation that you and your estranged spouse are in.
- Strive to maintain family Christmas traditions even though you are missing a spouse to celebrate the tradition with. It may be a big difference, but find ways to still make it enjoyable for the kids.
- Create new traditions to make the holidays more meaningful. Your family may have a different holiday tradition that was different from what you enjoyed when your family back then. However, introducing a new tradition will be memorable and fun for your kids.
- If your kids are at your former spouse’s, make the time alone you ‘me time’. You can brush up on your reading or spend an enjoyable silence while listening to carols and Christmas hymns.
- To make the holidays more bearable, think and focus your energy on the things that you should be grateful for. It is true that annulment can bring back painful memories and echoing of hurtful words, but it can be bearable for your sanity if you would rather think of the good times instead. It was the holidays after all.
- Do something for others like contributing to a cause or joining an activity wherein sharing and giving are done. The activity will surely strike a chord in the hearts of your kids. Something special that they will remember you by.
- Instead of showering your kids with gifts, shower them with attention instead. Annulment can be heartbreaking for you and your estranged spouse. But remember that kids can be affected as well.
Marriage annulment has its pros and cons, the pro being free from a loveless and perhaps abusive union, while the cons was the issue on the holiday shared custody. Despite this, adults should still manage to keep atmosphere of the holidays enjoyable and happy.