Nesting may make your parenting plan easier

For divorcing parents, there is no more contentious issue than the children. However, even though the topic is potentially contentious, parenting plans do not necessarily have to be, and they are not in every divorce. In fact, in this era of conscious uncoupling, amicable divorces are becoming more and more common, especially for parents. With this amicability comes a renewed focus on the best interests of the children and focusing the divorce process and parenting plan on their well-being, and one creative method some divorcing Lakeland, Florida, couples are using is nesting.

What is it?

Nesting (also known as birdnesting) is the practice of keeping the family home during the divorce and sometimes, even after the divorce for a specified amount of time. The children maintain their pre-divorce lives, and the parents shuttle in and out of the home according to the parenting plan, either living on property, sharing an off-property apartment or living separately off-property.

What is the goal?

The goal of nesting is to maintain the children’s lives and cost-share to the maximum extent possible. This is a win-win for the divorcing parents. For the children, divorce can have many deleterious effects, but nesting, combined with family or individual therapy, can eliminate many, if not all, of them because it allows for a much smoother transition.

Not a forever solution

Of course, nesting is not meant to be forever. It is a transitional solution to help the parents and children transition from a single-family unit into two family units with as little life upheaval as possible. It allows everyone to deal with the practical and emotional effects of divorce without worrying about the logistics immediately. However, it is not meant to last forever. After all, if you could make this work forever, there would be no reason to divorce in the first place. And, it is not healthy to give your children false hope that this will last forever either, which is why you should work out the timeline too.

Not for everyone

Nesting can be a great solution, but it is not for every divorcing couple. Indeed, because it keeps you much more connected than a traditionally divorcing couple, only the most amicably divorcing Lakeland, Florida, couples can nest healthily. Additionally, only couples that communicate well can successfully nest too.