​Co-Parenting Tricks to Make Halloween a Treat

Co-parenting during the holidays can be difficult, even for minor holidays such as Halloween. While everyone is dressing up in costumes, eating way too much candy, carving pumpkins, and going to festivals, you may look at your parenting plan and realize it’s not your year to have time-sharing with your children on Halloween. If that’s the case for you, here are some tips to make this year enjoyable and memorable.

1. Look for Halloween/fall events on the days or weekends leading up to the holiday. Many trunk-or-treat events occur on dates other than Halloween. These provide great opportunities to dress up with your children and “trick or treat” on days other than October 31. Fall festivals often occur the weekend before Halloween. You can go pumpkin picking, enjoy a corn maze, go on a hayride, or brave a haunted house. There are numerous opportunities to make special memories during this holiday, so take the time to seek them out. By thinking of Halloween as a month-long celebration instead of just a one-day holiday, you can enjoy a fulfilling time with your children regardless of who has time-sharing on October 31.
   
   
2. What if the parents cannot agree on a Halloween costume? Most parenting plans will designate which parent has Halloween time-sharing, but often, the parents have different ideas on what a child should dress up as for Halloween. It is okay for a child to have two costumes. During your time-sharing, your child can wear your selected costume, and when with the other parent, your child can wear a second costume. Thanks to the numerous trunk-or-treat events, Halloween parades and other celebrations held throughout the month, both parents will have plenty of opportunities to dress up in costumes with their child on days other than Halloween.
   
   
3. Don’t be afraid to make new traditions. You can do fun, creative activities to celebrate Halloween all month long, regardless if you have time-sharing on October 31. Maybe you spend time decorating the house, baking ghost and goblin cookies, or carving pumpkins. Use this time to create new traditions for you and your family that can happen at any time during October.

If you have any specific questions regarding your parenting plan and holiday time-sharing schedule, it’s a good idea to seek legal advice.