Birdnesting: A viable approach to handling child custody?

Posted in Child Custody on November 15, 2018

Dissolving a marriage in California can be challenging even in the most amicable of situations. This is especially the case for divorcing individuals who have young children. However, an approach to child custody that some parents have adopted to keep the divorce process as conflict free as possible is an arrangement called birdnesting, or nesting.

Birdnesting refers to keeping the family home intact and having the two parents take turns living at the house with the children. When they are not at home, they can live in their own separate residences. In fact, they may even decide to simply have a studio apartment that they rotate living in when they are not living at the main family residence.

The benefit of birdnesting is that it is less disruptive for the children. After all, they are not being environmentally affected by their parents’ marital breakup. However, for many couples, birdnesting may not be a viable long-term solution since having separate homes may not be economically feasible. Three months may be a practical length of time to practice birdnesting before the parents finally establish their own homes, with one parent having primary physical custody of the children and the other one having visitation rights.

Getting divorced can understandably be stressful for adults who are going through the process. However, it can be just as difficult for their young children to accept, process and navigate. Fortunately, an attorney in California can provide a divorcing spouse with the guidance he or she needs to pursue the most personally favorable child custody outcome while most importantly considering what is in the best interests of the children long term.