Parenting after a divorce is challenging for many reasons. Chiefly among them is that even though you are legally separated from your spouse, you will still remain a partner with him or her so long as you are raising your children. This is because it is likely that the courts awarded you and your ex-spouse joint custody.
Moving children between two separate residences after divorce causes many problems. In response to these problems, some divorced families have experimented with “nesting.” In this living situation, the children remain in one home while the parents do all of the moving in and out.
What’s in a name?
Experts use the term “nesting” to describe this living arrangement because it mimics the movement of parent birds tending to babies who stay in the same nest. Nesting can be a beneficial arrangement for many reasons. One is for families that have children with special needs. It can be potentially dangerous to move children who require special medical equipment or medicines. Nesting keeps these children in the same place.
Nesting can also be helpful for families who have older children. Older children typically resist moving back and forth between residences more than younger children do. A nesting arrangement can help older children maintain consistency.
What are the challenges?
A successful nesting arrangement involves a lot of communication between you and your ex-spouse. If you and your ex-spouse are not on good terms, it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain a nesting situation. This is because you will still be running a joint household together in addition to raising children.
