In child custody proceedings, parents often address the major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other religious or family holidays. The holiday may be important to the parent and the parent wants to spend time with the child during those times. However, parents often ignore other holidays like Halloween. Halloween can be important to kids and is a good opportunity for parents to spend time with their kids, dressing up and trick-or-treating. 

Planning for Halloween Visitation

One way to address Halloween custody or child visitation is to include the day in your parenting plan. Some parents may focus on more major holidays but including other holidays throughout the year can be a way for parents to focus on more regular opportunities to be festive with their kids. Holidays like Halloween can be one of the biggest days of the year for kids who get the chance to dress up as their favorite superhero or movie character and go door-to-door asking for candy. 

Halloween Cannot Be Enjoyed Together for Long

Halloween is also one of the holidays that has a relatively short period where parents can spend the day and night with their kids. Once kids hit their early teenage years, they may have no interest in spending Halloween with the family. Parents and kids may only have a decade or so to experience the festive time together. 

Dividing or Sharing Halloween Events

Parents who do not live far away may be able to share the day or divide up Halloween events so they can both spend time with the kids. If the parents do not live nearby, the best option may be to alternate Halloweens, along with other holidays. 

Halloween can be enjoyed by parents and kids throughout the day. If Halloween is on a school day, one parent can spend the morning with the child, helping them get ready for school in their costumes, painting faces, pinning costumes, and taking pictures to send to the family. 

In the evening, the focus of kids is usually trick-or-treating. For younger kids, this usually takes place in the early evening, walking with the kids going door-to-door and watching their reactions as they excitedly gather more candy and treats. Parents may also accompany their kids after dark, to make sure they stay safe when it is dark and pedestrians may be harder to see. 

There may also be opportunities for other activities. Many areas have safe Halloween events in a mall, shopping area, or parking lot where kids can have fun away from traffic. Sometimes these events fall on a weekend day close to Halloween, which would allow the kids to dress up twice and spend time with both parents at separate events. 

Parenting Time Disputes Around Halloween  

When events are not planned for or provided for in the parenting plan, dealing with who spends time with the kids during Halloween can lead to disputes. If you end up in a child custody or visitation dispute with your child's other parent, talk to your Missouri family law attorney for options and ways to resolve your parenting time disputes that will allow you to spend quality time with your kids while providing for their best interests. 

If you are dealing with a divorce or child custody disputes in Cass County, Missouri, contact the Joshua Wilson Law Firm today. You can reach us by phone at (816) 331-9968 or fill out our online form.