Edith van Ruitenbeek In general, a break once in a while – from your daily challenges and tasks – is considered healthy, especially in our modern world. Whether this is to soak up the sun, get some physical exercise, play… read more >
Summer HolidaysEdith van Ruitenbeek In general, a break once in a while – from your daily challenges and tasks – is considered healthy, especially in our modern world. Whether this is to soak up the sun, get some physical exercise, play with your children, contemplate life, discover other cultures, or simply indulge in a little dolce far niente or changer d’air – the aim is to recover and to hit ‘reset’. Most of the time it works. Luckily! However, sometimes the summer holidays catalyse frictions or problems that are lingering beneath the surface. In my practice as a family lawyer, I always register a peak of crises before the summer holidays and then another a peak after the holidays. Holidays to Come Especially in divorce situations, and unfortunately even after a divorce, parents sometimes use the holidays as an excuse to continue their battles as ex-partners. For instance, by not giving permission to the other parent to take the children abroad, or by not handing over the children’s passports in order to go to another country. I always start by trying to find an amicable solution. Dousing the adrenaline or offering alternatives sometimes helps. As does mentioning the fact the it is in the interest of the children to spend holidays with both parents – in an atmosphere that permits them to actually enjoy these holidays, and to be enthusiastic about their holidays afterwards, also towards the other parent. So-Called Adults Unfortunately, however, there are parents who do not behave as a parent should, creating the need to go to a judge to clear things up. Which means that not only the children are victimised yet again, but also the parents; after all, the stress level for the so-called adults is not healthy either. Hopefully, the judge then makes clear that… read more >