Why do Divorced Parents Fight over Christmas?

For divorced couples, the end of the year brings not just the thrill of the holidays but also the dread of custody disputes. As divorce lawyers, we consistently see an increase in the number of calls from dads who are fighting to see their kids during the holidays. It is during these battles that ex-spouses will  ignore, abuse, or conveniently reinterpret well-established parenting plans to limit the amount of time that dads get to see their kids.

As one family law attorney writing in the Huffington Post recently summarized:

“entire custody agreements, easily negotiated down to the last detail of the other 364 days of the year, have been known to fall apart over Christmas. Judges have been enlisted to decide whether a Christmas day transfer should take place at 12 or 2 p.m. Mom says she should always have the kids on Christmas Eve (and therefore Christmas morning) because she takes them to Mass and Dad won’t. Dad says Mom must have just gotten religion – she never went to Mass when they were married.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-klaw/the-twelve-days-of-christ_1_b_1149825.html?ref=divorce

It is unfortunate that some ex-spouses will never learn to play fair when it comes to the holidays. Fortunately, modifying your child custody agreement can help you mitigate these problems before the next round of holidays. If you are tired of custody disputes and looking for a solution, remember that you can get your phone questions answered at no charge by the Seattle child custody lawyers at Goldberg Jones.