As family lawyers in Nova Scotia, we understand how parenting arrangements may be subject to change in the summer months. During the school year, many families follow a regular parenting arrangement that has been formulated with their children’s schooling in mind. During the week, children may require routine and consistency, while on the weekends they have more freedom and down time. When the warmer weather hits in March and April, however, many parents wonder how the freedom of summer will impact their parenting arrangements. 

Week on Week Off, Block Parenting and Other Shared Parenting Schedules

During the summer months, when children are not in school, this is often an opportunity for parents to spend more quality time with their children. In considering what arrangement is most appropriate for the summer months, the Courts will always be concerned with “what is in the children’s best interests.” 

Each family’s circumstances will be different. For some families, the summer brings an opportunity for parents to share care of their children equally where this was previously unavailable due to work commitments, or distance from the children’s schooling. This can be a transition towards a “week on, week off” arrangement, or any other kind of shared parenting. 

For other families, the regular parenting schedule will continue throughout the summer. In these circumstances, there can be opportunities for parents to take special extended “block parenting” time with their children for the purposes of vacation. Other families prefer to keep the schedule consistent throughout the summer without these “blocks” of parenting time. 

What if the other parent won’t agree to changing a custody arrangement?

As noted above, each family’s situation is different, and what is most appropriate will always depend on what is in the children’s best interests. It is important to remember that if both parents cannot reach agreement on how to share care of the children during the summer months, an Application or Motion to court are options for a determination on summer parenting time. These Applications/Motions should be made as soon as reasonably possible, to ensure you are able to secure court time before the summer months. 

The lawyers at Lenehan Musgrave LLP can help you navigate what is most appropriate for your situation. We encourage you to contact us if you’ve got questions about family law or fill out the form below to book a consultation.