Beware: Halloween Co-Parenting

Beware halloween coparenting: For some parents, the “trick” in “trick-or-treating” is figuring out how to co-parent with their ex-spouse or future ex-spouse during the holidays, and this can be especially true in 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, decisions on the health and safety of your children for Halloween can be particularly complicated this year. Some parents may feel it’s best to skip trick-or-treating this year, and some parents may feel that trick-or-treating is ok, as long as certain restrictions or guidelines are followed. 

If you feel that you are having a difficult time deciding what to do for your family this year, below are some suggestions: 

Parenting Plan: 

Do you and your ex-spouse or future ex-spouse already have a filed or court-ordered Parenting Plan? If so, you may want to refer to your Parenting Plan to determine who is scheduled to have Halloween this year. 

Pending Parenting Plan:

If you and your spouse do not yet have a filed or court-ordered Parenting Plan, you and your spouse may want to begin discussions now to determine which parent will be exercising Halloween this year, whether your children will or will not be trick-or-treating, what restrictions/guidelines to enforce, or alternatives to trick-or-treating. If you and your spouse want to divide Halloween, you will need to discuss how the holiday will be divided. 

If an attorney represents you and/or your spouse, you can have your attorney help facilitate these discussions if having a conversation directly with your spouse is ineffective. 

Refer to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Click HERE for a recent article to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that you may want to read and share with your ex-spouse or future ex-spouse. Whether you and your ex-spouse or future ex-spouse decide for or against trick-or-treating this year, you can find several tips on how to make trick-or-treating safer for your children this year, along with fun alternatives to trick-or-treating. 

If you’d like more information on how the team at Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group can assist you with ANY family law needs, call us at 407-757-2883 or fill out the form below. #HereForYou