Families preparing for divorce and shared custody often need to explore creative solutions for meeting the needs of their children. Some parents may decide that a birdnesting custody arrangement is a viable solution.
In traditional shared custody arrangements, the children travel back and forth between the residences of their parents. In a birdnesting arrangement, the children remain in the same home where they have always lived. The parents stay at the home when they have parenting time and elsewhere when they do not.
What are some of the reasons that parents choose to employ a birdnesting custody arrangement?
1. Maintaining the children’s support networks
Neighborhood friends and schoolmates can play an important role in helping to support children going through a divorce. Many shared custody scenarios result in both parents moving, which can disrupt the social relationships of the children of the family.
A birdnesting arrangement lets the children stay in the same school district and maintain the same relationships. Particularly when finding housing nearby could be prohibitively difficult, birdnesting arrangements can be the best way to keep the children connected to their secondary support networks.
2. Minimizing day-to-day disruptions
When parents start living separately, they often start maintaining different rules. The schedules and expectations can be very different at one house as opposed to the other.
Children may find adapting to such changes to be quite difficult. In some cases, they may try to manipulate the discrepancies to their own benefit. Birdnesting allows for consistency, which makes it easier for parents to align their rules and expectations.
3. Controlling household expenses
At first glance, birdnesting can seem like a very expensive solution. Parents have to continue maintaining the family home while simultaneously paying for separate living spaces for each adult.
However, such arrangements can actually be more economical than traditional shared custody. They can arrange for short-term rental housing with a single-bedroom or studio setup. Particularly when there are multiple children in the family, maintaining two houses with adequate space for all of the children can quickly become cost prohibitive.
Exploring different custody styles can help parents find the best arrangement for shared custody after a divorce. With the right approach, parents can help minimize the negative impact that divorce and shared custody arrangements have on their children.