Many Maryland parents are currently navigating divorce. It’s safe to assume that in most of these situations, major life changes have accompanied their decisions to sever marital ties in court. The biggest changes often involve children; it’s not always easy to develop a new parenting plan without facing several challenges along the way. With summer vacation time fast-approaching, some parents might be worried whether plans for the summer will somehow cause obstacles in their child custody or visitation situations.

So many issues need to be negotiated when parents of young children decide not to keep their marriages intact. Children are obviously impacted by such decisions, and most parents strive to come up with plans that keep their best interests at heart. While many former couples are able to cooperate and compromise, others can barely exist in the same room without discord.

The latter type of relationship can prove quite challenging when it comes to holidays and special occasions, such as summer trips to the beach or elsewhere. Although some mistakenly believe otherwise, a custodial parent is typically not free to travel with children to any place at any time without providing reasonable notice to the other parent. A non-custodial parent may also want to take his or her children on vacation, which is usually acceptable, providing the court has not restricted visitation in such ways.

Margaret H. Oliver, LLC, often helps Maryland families resolve issues regarding summer travel plans as they relate to  child custody agreements. Adapting to new parenting plans and changes of lifestyle in divorce is often an extremely emotional process. By turning to an experienced family law attorney for support, you can protect your parental rights and make sure you and your children have every opportunity to build new and lasting memories as you move forward in life beyond your divorce.