Divorce on its own is difficult but rebuilding your life in the aftermath can be even more of a challenge in many circumstances. Particularly if you have children with your ex-spouse, it is likely that you are looking at a joint custody situation.
Typically, joint custody involves the children moving back and forth between two separate parental households. However, this arrangement does not work best for all families. According to Psychology Today, some families choose “nesting” as an arrangement in order to keep the children in a single living environment.
What is it?
Nesting turns the traditional housing arrangement for co-parenting on its head. Rather than the children moving between the two separate households, the children stay in one place. It is the parents that do the moving in and out of the family home according to the custody schedule.
The movement in this living arrangement is very similar to parent birds taking care of babies who stay in the nest. This is where the moniker derives from.
Who does this benefit?
Families who have older children often experience a lot of friction regarding moving back and forth between houses frequently. Some families choose to nest until their older children graduate high school for this reason. Once the children move out, the parents can then dissolve the family home with less stress.
In some situations, nesting benefits families with children who have special needs. Moving such a child frequently may be dangerous due to medical equipment or medications. Nesting allows the child to stay in the same domicile. Depending on your family situation, nesting may help transition your family into post-divorce life.
