Putting Children First
Santa, Wish Lists, and Gifts in Two Homes
Plan wish lists, budgets, and Santa with your co-parent so your child gets gifts from two homes without competition or duplicate fights.
All articles
Living with the Order
Your Teen Would Rather Be With Friends Than at Either Home. What Does the Order Say?
Your teen skips a weekend for friends? Learn what the custody order requires of you, what courts look for, and how to request a change properly.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Christmas Morning in Two Homes: Where Your Child Wakes Up
Christmas morning in two homes: how to check your custody order, the four common ways families split the holiday, and how to keep the handoff calm.
Special Situations
Meeting a New Partner's Family Over the Holidays
Learn when your child should join a holiday visit with a new partner's family, and how to prepare them, plan the day, and protect their traditions.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Snow Days and Early Dismissals: Which House Does Your Child Go To
Snow days and early dismissals can disrupt custody time. Learn the default rule, how to cover closures, and what to put in your plan.
High-Conflict Co-Parenting
Who Breaks the Tie on School and Medical Decisions
Stuck on a school or medical decision with your co-parent? See how tie-breaker clauses, agreed processes, and judges settle joint custody deadlocks.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Makeup Parenting Time When a Visit Gets Canceled
Learn when a canceled visit earns makeup parenting time, how state rules differ, and how to ask in writing, plus what to do if the answer is no.
Putting Children First
A Holiday Phone Call That Doesn't Make Your Child Report Back
How to set up a holiday call with your child's other parent, step back during it, and avoid turning it into a debrief afterward.
Parenting Time & Schedules
The December Concert on the Other Parent's Night
Your concert falls on the other parent's night. Learn how to read your order, ask early in writing, and keep your child out of the middle.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Booking Winter-Break Travel Before Both Parents Have Agreed
Can you book winter-break travel before the other parent agrees? Learn how to check your order, book a cancellable fare, and ask in writing.
Parenting Time & Schedules
Flying for the Holidays: Consent, the Itinerary, and Your Child
Planning a holiday flight with your child? Learn what your custody order likely requires, how much notice to give, and what to carry through airport security.
Living with the Order
Open Enrollment After Separation: Which Health Plan Covers Your Child, and When You Can Change It
Learn which parent's health plan can cover your child after separation, when open enrollment starts, and how to avoid a coverage gap.