You are here

How much info do you need to give for trips??

Biostep7777's picture
Forums: 

Court coming up soon and our attorney is in negotiation with her attorney so sorry for all the questions! 
As far as trips/vacations what is the appropriate info to give?? HCBM wants to know the address and itinerary of our trips. She said it's her right to know where her children are as their mother. 
Also, their agreement states that they have joint legal custody but the parent the child is with can make decisions on day to day things. Where is the line?? For instance, dad planss a trip and SS will miss a practice, he contacts the coach to let him know and to schedule a make up practice. Would that be considered a "day to day" decisions so he doesn't have to confer with BM or is that something they should discuss because practices are longer term commitments (although the make up will be on dad's time) HCBM wants to know when SS is making up the missed practice, what time and date ect... we are fine with doing what's right but she wants to control literally everything so we want to make sure we protect our boundaries as well. Thanks 

CastleJJ's picture

Your DH should provide BM with the address and phone number to the hotel, the dates you will be gone and let her know that DH will be available via cell in the event of emergency. Then you can let her know that DH will work with the coach to arrange makeup dates since they will fall on his time. She doesn't need any more detail than that. That's what the courts consider reasonable. 

simifan's picture

I would include flight information as well. I think it mostly depends on how HC your BM is. I always gave ExH info I would want - because he wasn't crazy. BM was always given limited info - in Blank city (after we arrived) can be reached via cell - to avoid interference with plans. 

tog redux's picture

I know we had to let her know if we left the area overnight - she intially wanted notification any time we left the county, which would have meant telling her when we went to the mall, so um, no.  I'm pretty sure a basic itinerary was included as well. She ruined pretty much all of our vacations, so be prepared for that.

IMO, the child not being at practice is a day-to-day decision. If he/she is sick, that's dad's call whether or not he/she can go to practice. I'd say mom gets notified only if the practice can't be made up on dad's time.

notarelative's picture

Practice. Curious. In what sport do coaches make up practice? My kid played sports and in the ones he played, if you missed a practice, it was missed. There was no way to make up a practice.

 

ndc's picture

DH and BM will tell each other they're going on vacation, and provide some big picture information (for instance we'll tell BM we're going to my parents' house in Florida; she'll tell DH they're flying to Texas).  They don't provide each other with addresses or itineraries.  They can contact each other using cell phones if anything comes up.  But they're not high conflict or controlling, and they trust the other parent to act in the best interest of the child.  I wouldn't mind giving BM a more complete itinerary because she's not going to screw up our plans or anything, and if she really wanted to know it wouldn't be a big deal.  But she's never asked for that level of detail, DH doesn't ask for that level of detail, and their CO doesn't say anything about it.  I'm not sure they'd even tell each other they were going on vacation except that they do a 2/2/5/5 schedule with no provision in the CO for longer vacations (not advisable!), so they almost always need to swap some days to accommodate a vacation.

For day to day stuff, they handle things on their own time.  If it's something important, they might let the other know.  Usually the kids would let the other parent know.

CastleJJ's picture

Our BM is super high conflict and the original court order stated that SS would visit DH at DH's home in <insert city here>. One day, DH decided to take SS to visit his parents in another city nearby, didn't really think anything of it, and BM filed contempt because we took him somewhere that was not the location listed on the CO (i.e. DH's house). DH had that wording changed immediately. BM then argued that she needed to know where SS laid his head at night if it was anywhere other than our home (sleepovers, out of towns, vacations, etc.) DH agreed but said it also goes both ways. Believe it or not, that is the only part of the CO BM doesn't fight. She notifies us if SS sleeps over at a friend's house or if they go out of town for the weekend. DH used to hate it because he would notify BM that we were going out of town with SS for the weekend and she would always put in her two cents about how she didn't like that we took him here or that he spent an entire weekend away from our home instead of visiting at our house. The courts stopped her from being allowed to comment on what happens during our parenting time which has eliminated that commentary. 

We took SS to Disney a few years back at Christmas. BM was notified of the trip about 8 months before the actual trip. She agreed to it. 3 weeks before the trip she tried to change her mind and dragged us back to court to prevent the trip. We told the judge if she prevented this trip, she would be responsible for all the costs associated with it. BM then argued that she promised SS he could attend a friend's Christmas party at 9 am on the day of pick-up, so that DH could pick SS up at noon. The original scheduled pick up time was 9 am. DH refused and the judge ordered that DH could pick SS up at 10 am (no later than 10:15) from the party address. Later, BM provides DH the party address as court ordered and it was BM's GF's office. It was literally an adult work party and BM came waltzing out at 10:14 am with SS. DH was pissed. We picked him up and left. DH provided her the dates gone and the hotel address and phone number. He said he would be available via phone. We left and ignored her for the whole trip. It was hell trying to make the trip happen but we had a wonderful time. 

CastleJJ's picture

HCBMs are a beast to deal with. You always have to be one step ahead and if you aren't, you need to be firm and stick to your guns. 

Rumplestiltskin's picture

My ex and i just give info like dates to be gone and return, city, and maybe hotel info. The parent without the kids is usually available in case of emergency ( by choice), but the parent who is on vacation with the kids doesn't need to be constantly available to their ex IMO. 

Dogmom1321's picture

Depends on how crazy the BM is. Our HCBM would use the information for harassment in some way. Even providing a specific address for a family's house/airbnb/etc. she would use it against DH. Looking up cost of stay, getting information about our families, the list goes on. 

Our CO is pretty vague and just says that the other party needs to be notified. The ONLY specifics that are included are an emergency phone number needs to be providied if SD isn't around DH for a phone call. Anything more than that for a high conflict parents only opens a can of worms, IMO

Harry's picture

Your location, the hotel name.  Going to A town on Monday B town of Wednesday. Ect

When kids get to the age that they can call or text BM.  Then tell the kids to call or text. 

Biostep7777's picture

Kids are teen/tween. They can totally call her and she texts them the whole time we are gone. Ever telling them to take a picture of their faces when we are at the beach to see if they are sunburnt. Ugh!!! 

Rags's picture

What DH does with his kids during his COd time with them, and where he chooses to do it, is none of BM's business. 

She does not have to have the address or anything else regarding your family vacation plans other than, "we are going on vacation and will be out of town from day X through day Y

. You have my cell (DH's) and I have yours and I will call you if there is anything you need to be informed of. Buh-bye."

IMHO the way to deal with this invasive self aggrandizing BM is to spin her up and lead her around by her toxic bullshit.  She is way over stating her own importance and overstepping her place.  Play that to your fun and advantage.

When SS-28 was  young my DW got his passport, he was 6.  It was good for 5 years.  At that time the CP could get a passport for their child without the knowledge or concent of the NCP.  We took several international vacations including going to Saudi Arabia to visit my parents.  I grew up in the KSA and I wanted my bride and our son to experience that for themselves so we spent a month in KSA with mom and dad over Christmas.  When SpermGrandHag found out, she flipped a bitch and went postal. But there was nothing she could do about it. 

When he was 14 she tried to have his passport renewed.  No joy.  They had changed the rules and SS's passport application required the Spermidiot's signature.  We wanted him to have a passport as a form of official ID since he was traveling 3X per year unaccomplanied for SpermLand visitation.  They tried to leverage that to give us shit by not signing the application. So, we told them... no passport, no visitatio travel since he was adult sized.  He should have an ID.  So.. they STFU and signed.

Conversely, we took exception to the Spermidiot never seeing his kid on SpermLand visitation and dumping the SKid on SpermGrandHag and SpermGrandPa.  We contested visitation completely and the Judge was clear. What the NCP chooses to do with the kid during the NCP's time is none of the CP's business. And vise versa.

So, tell BM only when you are leaving and when you are returning. Let her simmer in her toxic juices while you are enjoying your family vacation.

IMHO of course.