Going through a divorce is difficult as a matter of course, but going through one with children involved can be excruciating. Maintaining a stable living environment for your children during this tumultuous time may seem impossible.
To help maintain stability for children during divorce, many families are opting to pursue “nesting,” at least as a temporary arrangement until the divorce is final. Nesting, as per Psychology today, is when kids remain in one household and the parents swap in and out.
How does this help with the divorce process?
Nesting is good for keeping a stable living environment for your children while you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse figure out what the next steps are going to look like. Particularly if you are thinking about selling the family home, agreeing to a nesting arrangement can help give you and your spouse the space you need to make good decisions while allowing your children to stay put.
Sometimes families continue to nest after divorce, particularly if the family home is in an expensive area. If the parents cannot afford to live in the same area as single parents, nesting is a way to allow the children to stay in familiar surroundings.
What should I know before nesting?
Traditional co-parenting requires a reasonable amount of communication between the spouses to be fruitful. Nesting requires even more communication and organization than this. You will need to figure out who is going to pay what bills, and where the off-duty parent will reside. You may also need to negotiate additional issues such as dating while in a nesting situation.
