Kanye West recently released a video claiming that he had not been told by his soon to be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, the address of his daughter Chicago’s birthday party.

His fear was that if he was not able to attend, this would imprint on his daughter that her father was not there on her special day.

Whilst the celebrity couple’s separation will not be your ‘typical divorce’, this issue could arise for any separating couple.

Making a plan

This publicised conflict should be taken as a reminder of the importance to think ahead and make arrangements for special occasions in the future. It’s wise to create a parenting plan - a written plan mutually agreed between parents to cover practical issues such as birthday parties.

You could consider:

  • agreeing to attend birthday parties together if you feel you can do this without conflict
  • having alternate years to celebrate your child’s birthday
  • splitting the day in half

For any decision made, the priority should be your child and how you think they would best like to celebrate. It is important to make a record of the arrangements to help reduce the likelihood of future disagreements.

What if we cannot agree?

In the event parents are unable to reach a mutual agreement, one parent could make an application to the court for a Specific Issue Order. This would allow the court to decide how the child’s birthday should be dealt with.

The decision to engage the court to determine such disputes should not be taken lightly. Any litigation could create further conflict between parties.