Why should the kids have to bounce from house to house?

 Posted on July 05, 2017 in Child Custody

In a divorce, two of the biggest considerations are what to do with the children and what to do with the family home. The traditional solution looks something like this: One parent stays in the house and the other moves out. The children then bounce back and forth between mom’s place and dad’s place.

This may be the traditional solution, but it is certainly not the only solution.

Bird Nesting Is On The Rise

An article from the New York Times details a solution that is becoming increasingly popular. Instead of forcing the children to go back and forth between homes, which can be stressful, particularly for younger kids, the parents do the shuffling. The kids stay in the family home. The parents rotate in and out of the house. When the parents are not living in the house with the kids, they may be staying in an apartment nearby. This unique arrangement is referred to as bird nesting, or just nesting.

While this solution is not for everyone, it may work well for parents who can work together for the well-being of the children and who can keep up with the upkeep of the nest. However, this solution is not really in the divorce statutes in Texas or elsewhere. Judges are unlikely to order this. It is the result of settlement agreements in which parents and their lawyers are able to work together and get creative to find a solution that is truly a good fit for them and their children.

There Is Flexibility

Perhaps what is most empowering about the rise of this unique option is that it illustrates just how much flexibility there is when going through a divorce. Parents do not have to settle for formulaic outcomes that may not be right for them or their children. If they are willing to work together, they can come up with child custody arrangements that make sense based on their circumstances.