In nature, a baby bird remains within the nest until it is time for it to take flight. The parents will often visit, leaving food and ensuring the baby is healthy.
In divorce situations, the opposite often happens, with a child having to travel between two homes in accordance with a visitation schedule. But is this disruptive option the only one you have?
Why is nesting good?
Divorce Magazine goes into detail about the benefits associated with a nesting housing situation during and after divorce. Nesting is an excellent option if you can make it work because it provides a maximum amount of stability for your child in an incredibly difficult and destabilizing period of their life.
When they do not have to worry about a new school, friends, houses or locations, they can fully focus on adapting to the other changes that divorce will make in their lives. Having this time and space to focus can help them adopt healthier coping mechanisms as a whole.
Making it work
However, you and your co-parent must agree on several things in order to make this work. First, you have to agree to leave one another’s personal belongings alone and to leave the house in a relatively undisturbed state. It is still joint property, and you must trust one another to respect that.
You also need to have secondary locations to stay in when you are not staying in the family home. Because only one parent resides with the child at a time, the other will need their own apartment or house, or the ability to stay with a friend or relative.
However, if it is possible to make this option work, it has a myriad of excellent benefits to enjoy.
