In the Media: Kathryn Dickerson Shares Ways to Handle the Holidays While Divorced on FOX 5 DC and Good Morning Washington
The holidays can be a festive and joyous time spent with families and friends. However, for newly separated and divorced parents and their children, it can be a stressful and challenging time. SmolenPlevy Principal and family law attorney Kyung (Kathryn) Dickerson joins FOX 5 DC’s Good Day DC and NewsChannel 8’s Good Morning Washington to share practical tips to deal with difficult family dilemmas during the holidays.
When handling the holidays, communication is key for separated, divorced and blended families. “The more they communicate, the smoother, easier, and better it will be for the children,” Dickerson tells Good Day DC host Allison Seymour. She goes further to suggest written communication is ideal, so there are no questions about “who is going to show up where with what gifts and whom.”
In addition to working out detailed plans, avoid unnecessary tension by not trying out-buy the other parent or buying something you know that the other parent doesn’t want the child to have. Also one of the biggest mistakes Dickerson sees during the holiday season is introducing the children to a new significant other.
Divorce is often viewed as an ending, but the holidays may be a great time to start new traditions – to begin writing a new family story.
At the end of the day, interactions with an estranged spouse should be civil, businesslike, and keep the children’s happiness and best interests in mind. “The greater the tension, the less the children like the holidays,” warns Dickerson. For many children of divorce, seeing their parents get along during the holidays may be the greatest gift of all.
Watch Dickerson on NewsChannel 8 and FOX 5 DC below:
FOX 5 DC Good Day DC One-on-One Interview:
NewsChannel 8 Good Morning Washington:
