The most stressful year for children whose parents are divorcing is usually the first. One way of easing the strain on them is a living arrangement called “nesting.”
Nesting is a way of managing your living arrangements during your divorce. It can provide much-needed stability for a child during an unstable year. While you can continue it post-divorce, it is not usually a long-term solution.
How does nesting work?
When you and your spouse decided to end your marriage, you may not have wanted to continue to live together. However, finding new accommodations can take a considerable amount of time. You may be unsure how much you can afford to spend on housing until you finalize your divorce. Nesting buys you time. It also reduces the amount of change happening in your child’s life.
The way nesting works is that the child stays in the family home, like a young bird in the nest. Each parent takes turns spending time with the child there. The other parent stays away until it is time to swap. You could rent a small apartment or stay with family and friends when you are not in the family home.
Nesting allows the child to adapt to only being with one parent at a time without needing to adjust to a new home at the same time. You can deal with that later once things have settled down.
If you can cope with sharing a house in this way, you should also consider either mediation or a collaborative divorce. They could allow you to wrap up the divorce proceedings more quickly and cost effectively than if you choose litigation. It will enable you to move forward with your lives and start creating the stable environment your child needs.