Co-parenting Advice with UK Family Mediation England
Co-parenting at Christmas – As the festive season approaches conversations over child arrangements can become fraught and lead to new disputes with your ex partner. UK Family Mediation shares some of their best tips to find solutions to your yule time plans.
If you have a healthy relationship and have established plans in place it often will make things much easier when agreeing a change to routine and schedule to accommodate plans for school holidays or Christmas Day. However even the smallest disagreement when you already find coming together on solutions difficult can often escalate into full blown family breakdowns.
To help families work through any Christmas clash, UK Family Mediation Service England reminds couples that they can take advantage of the Government’s mediation voucher scheme, which can offer up to £500 in joint mediation services. This is able to offer a way to work out disputes before they escalate beyond peaceful resolution and potentially save families time and money by avoiding taking the disputes to court.
Christmas for families with children should be the time to make memories and be together however, for separated parents it can ignite common disputes. – We often see the same discussion year on year from families who contact us; who gets the children on Christmas Eve, who will attend the Christmas play, and when kids will be able to visit grandparents or extended family. With so many questions to be discussed, tension can often run higher than usual.
Family Mediation [Name ]can offers a far quicker solution for parents trying to keep things at peace this Christmas. When difficult times reach a head for most families however during this time of year it is often already too late to go to court to find a solution before the festive period.,
In order to help you navigate these potential emotional pitfalls around the festive season UK Family Mediation England shares our best tips for finding solutions to Christmas family disputes.
- Plan Ahead: Start discussions with your ex-partner early to agree on arrangements. This gives everyone time to adjust and plan accordingly.
- Focus on the Children: Keep the children’s best interests at heart. Ensure they feel loved and secure, and try to maintain some of the traditions they enjoy.
- Be Flexible and Compromise: Flexibility is key. If one parent has the children on Christmas Day, consider celebrating on another day. Alternating years or splitting the day can also work well.
- Use Technology: Use shared calendars and messaging apps to coordinate plans and keep communication clear. This can help avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Create New Traditions: Embrace the opportunity to create new traditions with your children. This can make the holiday season special and memorable for them.
- Stay Positive: If you find yourself alone on Christmas, try to focus on the positives. Use the time for self-care, hobbies, or spending time with friends.
- Involve the Children in Planning: Depending on their age, involve your children in the planning process. This can help them feel more in control and less anxious about the changes.
- Respect Court Orders: If there are legal arrangements in place, ensure you comply with them to avoid any conflicts.
- Present a United Front: Whenever possible, attend special events together. This shows your children that you can still cooperate and support them as a team
- Seek Support if Needed: If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or professional services. Talking to someone can help you manage your emotions and stress. Arrange a call from one of our expert team to understand your options
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Family Court Statistics shares that the number of divorce applications between January and March 2024 alone exceeded 27,900, and many of those couples will still be going through the process meaning that they likely won’t have any childcare agreements in place. If you find that you need separation support and guidance the UK Family Mediation England team are ready to help you with your next steps. Call 03300 101 571 or contact us here.