41: Why the Priority List in Your Parenting Plan Matters More Than You Think
About this episode
This episode discusses the importance of establishing a priority list in parenting plans to prevent conflicts with high-conflict ex-partners.
Larry handed you a parenting plan with a list of holidays, a list of breaks, and a line about vacations, and called it finished. He never told you which one wins when two of them land on the same day. And your high-conflict ex found that gap before the ink was even dry. This week I'm breaking down the one paragraph missing from almost every parenting plan on earth: the order of priority. Because a list of holidays, breaks, and vacations with no hierarchy isn't a plan. It's an invitation for a high-conflict parent to clean house and take from you every single time. Here's the order that actually protects you. Holidays come first. Nothing overlaps a holiday. Not a vacation, not a visitation day, nothing. School breaks come second. Your spring break, fall break, and winter break override the regular visitation schedule , so no one gets to plan a vacation over your break. Vacations come third. A vacation supersedes visitation, but it does not touch a holiday or a break. And visitation, your regular day-to-day schedule, comes last. It's the first thing that gets overridden and the last thing that gets protection. I'm also giving you the one sentence that has to sit underneath that…
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Boss
Topics covered
- parenting plans
- high-conflict parenting
- holiday scheduling
- vacation planning
- visitation rights
Keywords
- parenting plan
- priority list
- holidays
- vacations
- visitation
- conflict resolution
More episodes of The Ugly Truth of Divorce
- 45: The Communication Deadline Clause Nobody Puts in Their Parenting Plan
- 44: Can Your Ex Take Your Child Out of State Without Permission?
- 43: What Happens to Your Parenting Plan When Your Ex Moves Out of State
- 42: Vacation Clauses That Prevent Summer Custody Fights
- 40: The Things No One Warns You About After the Divorce Is Final
- 38: The Top 7 Challenges of 50/50 Custody (Especially with a High-Conflict Co-Parent)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Ugly Truth of Divorce podcast page.