Going on vacation with your children is a fun experience, but it will take special considerations if you and their mom aren’t in a relationship any longer. Even if you have the travel plans made, there is another facet of the vacation that you have to think about – memories.
Most children want to share their memories with both parents. This isn’t an issue in many cases, but you might have to take some special steps to help the kids to show their mother what happened.
Take plenty of pictures
One of the easiest ways that you can help your children to share what happened is to take pictures. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend the entire time with a camera stuck to your face. Instead, focus on having fun first and grab some photos when you can do so easily. If your children are old enough, let them take pictures so they can show off what was important to them. Younger children might not be able to handle the responsibility of a digital camera yet, but a disposable one might be sufficient. Of course, some digital cameras are relatively inexpensive and can facilitate easier memory sharing.
Make communication easy
Make plans for your kids to communicate with your ex during the vacation. This might be a daily phone call so they can discuss things that happened that day. Texting or video chats are also appropriate. It is often important for the children to know that they can speak to both parents when they want, so be sure that you relay that this is an option for them even though you are on a vacation.
Help your children if necessary
Your children might need help to share their memories. You might consider getting them a journal to write in if they are old enough. If they are too young, you could jot down memories, such as cute things they said or a description of things they enjoyed, and help them to talk about these experiences later.
One thing to remember is that it is nice if their mom does the same for you when she goes on vacation with the kids, but there is a chance she might not. Your efforts in this child custody matter are done to help your children, so as long as they are doing well, you should be willing to do what you can.