In a prior post, we offered some thoughts on how important it was for parents to resolve parenting time disputes (or address them) before the holiday season begins. We offered a few possibilities for those parents who were experiencing problems sharing time for Halloween. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, it is prudent that we revisit this issue.
Dispute resolution is critical not only because of how parents may continue to deal with each other, it is essential because of how children will feel going forward with battling parents. Kids don’t like being caught in the middle between warring parents; especially young children. They have a unique capacity for believing that their parents’ issues are their fault, and may have tremendous difficulty expressing themselves out of fear of offending one of their parents.
So if a child truly wants to see the other parent, but is not allowed to, there may be a sense of bitterness or guilt that develops towards one (or both) parents; which could lead to additional issues. It is no secret that children who are caught in contentious divorces tend to have difficulties in school, are more likely to abuse mood altering drugs, and to have additional emotional problems. Also, family court judges do not look kindly upon parents who deny parenting time during holidays.
Because of this, parents must humble themselves and allow parenting time during Thanksgiving to both families. If you are in the midst of a dispute, an experienced family law attorney can help.