Examining Nesting Arrangements as an Option for Child Custody

 Posted on October 12, 2018 in Family Law

Many people say that the hardest thing about their divorce was seeing how it affected their children. Children often have different reactions to divorce, ranging from anger and fury to depression and guilt. Though the range of emotions felt by children of divorce is vast, there is one thing that most can agree on - divorce is hard on children. Because of this issue, an increase in unusual custody arrangements has been observed across the county - nesting arrangements. These kinds of arrangements can be beneficial to both parents and children as they transition from their normal life to one in which parents are divorced.

What Is a Nesting Arrangement?

As the name of the arrangement implies, a nesting arrangement is one in which the family home is the “nest” where the children live and the parents take turns staying at the home to spend time with the children. Traditional split custody arrangements consist of the parents each having their separate homes and the children moving between those homes after a set length of time. In a nesting arrangement, some parents will have their own designated living quarters in the family home, but more often, parents will live outside of the family home when they are not in charge of the children.

Benefits of Nesting Arrangements

The main idea of nesting arrangements is to facilitate a less stressful environment for the children and to allow them to experience minimal changes in their lives because of a divorce. Many parents who choose nesting arrangements rationalize the unique situation by stating that it is not the children’s fault that the parents are divorcing, so they should not have to suffer. Nesting arrangements provide a greater sense of stability and security for children and enable them to spend time with both parents, but without the burden of having to move from home to home. Not only is this good for the children, but the parents typically find that nesting allows them both to spend equal amounts of quality time with the children without feeling like they are at a disadvantage because they are the only one moving out.

An Oakland County Child Custody Attorney Can Help

Divorce is hard on everyone, but it is especially hard on children when their entire lives are being changed. Nesting arrangements provide a secure environment for the children during and even after the divorce and allow both parents to share custody. A knowledgeable Farmington Hills child custody lawyer can help you hash out the details of a nesting arrangement if you think it could work for your family. If you are thinking of which kind of custody arrangement could work for you, Elkouri Heath, PLC can guide you in the right direction. Call the office at 248-344-9700 to set up a consultation.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/co-parenting-after-divorce/201307/birds-nest-co-parenting-arrangements

https://childteenfamilytherapy.com/nesting-plans-for-divorce-pros-and-cons/

http://www.collaborativepracticemarin.org/cpm-blog/nesting-what-is-it-is-it-right-for-us