A University of Washington study that reviewed 14 years of filing data found that family-related court actions consistently peak twice a year, in March and in August. This pattern is linked to the end of major family holidays and summer vacations. For separated and divorced parents who already share custody, August can be a challenging month as summer parenting schedules end, school enrollment decisions get finalized, and two households need to sync up again.

Preventing Co-Parenting Conflicts

WSM Law, a family law firm, suggests seven ways families can prevent common co-parenting conflicts that typically arise in August. These include reading the parenting plan in July to resolve gaps before they become disputes, knowing which parent has the authority to make major decisions, sharing information accurately and timely, agreeing on consistency between households, settling how many activities a child will do and how costs will be split, not using children as messengers, and seeking outside help when necessary.

School enrollment is a significant flash point, with decisions about which school a child attends falling under legal custody. When parents share joint legal custody, both must agree, and August is when that agreement either gets finalized or falls apart in front of a deadline. Many parenting plans were written when children were younger or before the family moved, and some do not clearly address school choice, transportation, or after-school care.

The number of families facing co-parenting conflicts is significant, with roughly 13.9 million people in the United States being custodial parents in 2022, raising a combined 22.2 million children under 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere. Fewer than half of those custodial parents reported having any formal or informal child support agreement in place, highlighting the need for coordination between separated households.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.