After divorce, couples will figure out a custody solution for their children. In most cases, this means that they share custody and live in different locations. They have to work together to make decisions about the children, which is the main element of legal custody, and they also have to drive the children back-and-forth between the two homes to satisfy the physical custody requirement.
But another option is to use birdnesting. How does this work and how might it be beneficial for you?
Sharing the home
Birdnesting starts by allowing your children to stay in the home without ever moving. For them, nothing about their living situation changes except the parent that is in the home with them at the time.
You and your ex then have to decide on a custody schedule that you can use to move in and out of that house. The parent who moves in is responsible for physical custody. When that obligation ends, they switch places with the other parent, who then takes over. In short, rather than having the children switch houses, the parents do so.
What are the benefits?
There can be a lot of benefits to this, one of which is that children often do not want to leave their home. They may live near their friends. They may want to ensure that they can still go to the same school. Switching houses can just make life feel unstable to them. If they get to stay in the same house, the divorce goes much easier because they don’t notice the big changes in the same way.
Of course, birdnesting also does mean that you still have to see your ex a fair amount of the time. The two of you have to work together and cooperate, you have to pay the bills, you have to share a living space and much more. So there are benefits to bird nesting, but it also isn’t for everyone and will not work for every couple.
As you go through a divorce with your children, always focus on their best interests and make sure you know what legal steps to take.
