Read our tips on practical things you can do, to ensure your kids don’t miss out on spending Christmas with you.

Although the holiday period brings with it a lot of excitement and fun, for many fathers it is a time filled with loss and sadness. We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time, everyone feels as though they are working to a deadline, there are financial and family obligations pulling you in every direction, and this often all comes to a head with relationship breakdowns – either in marriages, or even what were once healthy co-parenting relationships.

A key way to protect your time with you children, and prevent any falling outs or conflicts arising is to be proactive. Here are some tips to put you in the best position to spend time with your children these holidays:   

• Be the one who protects your children from conflict, putting down the other parent in front of your children is akin to putting a stone in their backpack. Its just weighing them down. 
• Have self awareness and insight into your behaviour, recognise where you could improve as a parent and take active steps to recover, reinstate your role, prove what you can do.  
• Be the parent your children wants to be with, create them their own space in your home, support their endeavours, lead by example in the way you deal with conflict.
• Don’t victimise yourself, understand there is no gendered bias in the family court, Mum doesn’t get more time than you just because she demands it.
• Don’t underestimate yourself as a parent, we all need to learn how to be the best parent we can be, and a lot of this comes from confidence. 
• Be proactive in the way you communicate, open the lines of communication with their teachers and coaches, volunteer for their footy team, whatever it may be.

Christmas is too important of a time not to be spending with your children, having a breakdown in the relationship with the mother, or having things like allegations made against you can impact this.

It is really important to understand that your children have a right to a meaningful relationship with both parents, including the father. There are a numerous studies that clearly support the importance of this relationship, and the family court recognises this. If you are worried about the time – or lack there of – that you are spending with your children these holidays, reach out to us for a free chat about how we can protect this meaningful relationship with your children.