I don't know what is normal for vacations, but if i had a week with no kids and no work, I would probably sleep a lot and do spring cleaning. and sleep some more. and bubble baths.... long ones! (maybe a little romance when hubby got home too!)

DD was always with dad the whole summer break 2 and a half months in summer, and two weeks Christmas and some other times in between during the year. I myself do not work much the whole summer and same with Christmas(sometimes summer school or take classes) so I didn't know what to do. When it first started this way I was devastated because I felt lost. I do have hobbies but still! eventually I have learned to enjoy freedom of doing my own stuff when she was gone.

The last time my X took my DD for more than a meal was Thanksgiving before last.

kkny, this is a shame. Unless DD herslef doesn't want much to do with dad. I do know situations when dad wants to spend more time but kids are not that interested, especially girls. they do it only because they feel obligated to go with dad.

My exH has never allowed all the younger kids to visit for more than two nights (except for one of them). The last time any of them (except for one of them) stayed for about a week was, I think, almost seven years ago. Two of them stayed with him overnight about a year and a half ago. I never heard of court required visitation. I was told that the NCP has the option to exercise visitation, but that it is never required.

FD, He travels a lot -- only wants time with her when convenient for him. Never willing to re-arrange his schedule.

We have somewhat set weeks. We alternate Spring Break, we each have one of the two Winter Break weeks, and we split summer; two weeks for summer camp, 4 for us and 4 for mom. We alternate who gets to choose their weeks first after the camps are set. Since mom lives about 20 minutes away most days that she has to work during her visitation she brings SD back here - we have a summer nanny and it allows SD to be close to her friends and have transportation to get places. This arrangement often causes a fight as mom didn't like to bring her back here, but we have it written into the parenting plan that the parties will use the same summer care provider. She tried to argue that staying home alone all day, 20 minutes away from her friends was just as good for SD as being here with her brothers, the nanny she loves and her friends blocks away. She lost.

The divorce decree states that my stepdaughters' mother can have them for two weeks during summer vacation, however, she has never utilized the opportunity. Once a year she will take them for two nights in a row to go camping with her extended family. Personally, I don't mind that they're always home!! It may be selfish but the house seems so empty without them - it may have been difficult for me at first but they have trained me very well and I now appreciate the noise and mayhem created by two teenage girls!!! It's amazing but children really do change a person!!!!!

the house is empty, true, i used to struglle when DD was gone the whole summer but i always thought of how hard it is for X to not see her. and now when DD is gone to college she alternates breaks between two parents and it is tough but oh well, part of life. i guess when we get divorced not having kids with us when we want to is a part of a deal...

i guess it is still better than my SO's DDs tell him now (he and BM stayed together until kids were grown for the kids sake) that they were unhappy children and wished parents divorced while kids were young. Ouch.

My hubby has his kids EOW and 2 weeks in the summer. those weeks on not fixed...he looks at the summer months and decides when he'ld like them for the two weeks. We have them for xmas day after 3pm and new years is usually swapped every other year but i told him its best to keep them for the new year all the time. His ex complains by the third year but he's told her there is nothing wrong in keeping them for an extra 3 days out of the year...she has them all the time! They also split march break as well.
So my hubby basically sticks to the contract to avoid any fights and does ask for them from time to time when she's in a 'good mood'.
Its a shame i've read soem previous posts that soem fathers dont take them over night or see them. Then they wonder why the kids grow up angry!!! Alot of selfishness out there.