As the Christmas seasons nears and family functions abound, keeping your cool when interacting with exes is critical. A recent article on divorce360.com, contains advice from Stacy Phillips, a Los Angeles celebrity divorce attorney and author of “Divorce: It’s All About Control How To Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars.”
Phillips has come up with some advice for divorced couples with children and how to avoid a holiday meltdown. The most important thing is to keep the kids at the forefront of your mind and doing everything you can to putting them in the middle of your dispute. She suggests the following:
- Get some therapy. If you’re stressed more than usual by the holidays Phillips suggests talking to a professional about what’s on your mind.
- Don’t try to one-up the other parent. Outdoing each other for gift supremacy won’t help anyone and will only succeed in making your kids feel torn between the parents they love.
- Don’t be so rigid with the visitation schedule. A little flexibility here can go a long way to smoothing the season over.
- Include others. Be the bigger person and include your ex-spouse’s significant other in the festivities, even if you they aren’t your favorite person.
- Engage in charity. Helping others less fortunate is a great way to put your own problems in perspective.
- Spend more time with friends and family. Surround yourself with the people you love and focus on having a happy holiday with them.
- If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Simple enough advice.
- Show the children what the holidays really mean. They are all about giving.
- Dwell on the overall message of the holiday season. No matter what your beliefs are, peace and harmony is the ultimate goal.
- Start thinking about the New Year. Focus on the good things that are sure to come after the hectic holidays are over.
If you’re preparing for a stressful holiday season and need the advice of a seasoned South Carolina family law attorney, look no further.
Source: “Divorce attorney tips on surviving the holidays: How not to play the divorce war games” published at divorce360.com.