New Jersey Children’s Bill of Rights
September 16, 2024
With the Holiday Season quickly approaching, our office is already prepping for the flurry of calls and emails that will inevitably come in from people at arms with their partners about how their children will be splitting the holidays. While this happens most often when people are going through a divorce or separation without any sort of agreement or court order in place, it can also happen where there is an order but the other person isn’t following it. Well, what can you do?
In most cases when there is a parenting agreement about holiday time, parties do usually stick to it. New Jersey counties have sample holiday schedules which divide the child’s time between both parents on important holidays, to ensure that there is little to no confusion as to where the child is supposed to be on those important days. A sample holiday schedule may look like this:
|
Holiday |
To Mother* |
To Father* |
|
New Years’ Day - January 1st from noon to 6pm |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Martin Luther King Day (unless child is in school) |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Presidents Day |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Spring Break - first half |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Spring Break - second half |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Good Friday - Friday at 10am to Saturday at 4pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Easter - Saturday at 4pm through Sunday at 7:30pm |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Mothers’ Day |
Every Year |
---------------- |
|
Memorial Day Weekend - Friday at 6pm to Monday at 6pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Fathers’ Day |
---------------- |
Every Year |
|
July 4th - overnight until 8am on July 5th |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Labor Day Weekend - Friday at 6pm to Monday at 6pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Halloween (trick or treat) |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Columbus Day |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Thanksgiving Eve - Wednesday at 6pm to Thursday at 4pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Thanksgiving Day - Thursday at 4pm to Friday at 6pm |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Christmas Eve - Dec. 24 at 6pm to Dec. 25th at noon |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Christmas Day - Dec. 25th at noon to Dec. 26th at 6pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
Christmas Break - Dec. 26th at 6pm to Dec. 28th at 6pm |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Christmas Break - Dec. 28th at 6pm to Dec. 31st at 6pm |
Even Years |
Odd Years |
|
New Years’ Eve - Dec. 31st at 6pm to January 1st at noon |
Odd Years |
Even Years |
|
Father’s Birthday - 4pm to 8pm |
---------------- |
Every Year |
|
Mother’s Birthday - 4pm to 8pm |
Every Year |
---------------- |
|
Child’s Birthday - non-custodial parent has the child from 7pm to 8:30pm |
|
|
*The holiday schedule is published in terms of Mother and Father. For same-sex couples or other arrangements that do not fall into the typical mother/father binary, parties or the court should specify which party receives which holidays.
Another piece of advice is to make a special time for each other that may not be an official holiday. For example, if your partner or ex has the child on Christmas Day but you have them the day before, celebrate Christmas one day early. The child gets special memories of Christmas Day with both parents, and you don’t miss out on the traditions and magic you have enjoyed together in the past. The same can be said for Thanksgiving. If your partner or ex has the child for Thanksgiving, you can have a big dinner the next day with the leftovers, and call it Thanksgiving all the same. A day on the calendar should not dictate the joy you share with your child.
There are things that we can do to help facilitate shared time with both parents during the holidays, but the best advice we can give is to not let drama and anger destroy your holiday joy. Find a way to rise above it all and focus on who and what matters most.
Call our experienced attorneys at 865-795-0020 to schedule a free consultation.
*This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.