The divorce process can be quite difficult for the spouses as well as any children involved. That’s why many divorcing parents in Virginia are committed to finding ways to help soften the blow of their split. For some, this means finding creative ways to address custody arrangements.
Bird nesting is a form of shared child custody in which the children remain in the family house on an ongoing basis after the divorce. Meanwhile, each parent moves in and out of the home for their shared custody time. The purpose of bird nesting is to enhance the child’s feeling of emotional security and minimize disruptions at a time when many changes are taking place to the family’s life. The parents may share an apartment between them for their off weeks or arrange their own housing during that time.
As one might expect, bird nesting can work best for couples whose divorces are relatively amicable. Good communication and comfort with sharing space are both particularly critical for the success of this type of arrangement. Even in the best-case scenarios, however, it is typically a transitional arrangement. In addition to providing security for the children in the immediate post-divorce period, it can allow the parents time to handle some of the financial aspects of leaving the home.
Of course, for many couples, a more traditional joint child custody arrangement and immediate sale of the family home may be more emotionally and financially viable. A family law attorney can help divorcing spouses to protect their rights in terms of asset division and child custody throughout the divorce process.