There are many different child custody solutions that you may want to use after you get divorced. For instance, many couples will trade the children every two or three days, or they might use alternating weeks. Parents live in their own homes and the children move back and forth.
But have you heard of birdnesting? With this solution, a central home is chosen where the children can live all the time – perhaps the family home from when the couple was married. Then the custody schedule just tells the parents when they need to move in and out. When they have custody, they live in the home with the children. When they don’t, they live in another location and their ex moves in with the kids.
What are the benefits and challenges?
There are some major benefits for children when using birdnesting. It’s a more stable situation, the children don’t have to move, they have all of their possessions at their home all of the time, and they’re always in a familiar place. Children may also be happy that they get to stay near their neighbors and friends or in the same school system. Overall, birdnesting makes it feel like the divorce hasn’t changed their life so much.
But there are challenges for parents, who have to work closely together, even after the divorce. They have to share responsibilities in the home. They have to be open to communication. They also have to find a way to make it financially feasible, since they will still need another place to live when they don’t have custody.
Birdnesting is certainly a potential solution to consider, although it is not right for all couples. It helps to demonstrate why it’s so important to look into potential options during a divorce.