Are you thinking about birdnesting after your divorce? This is an arrangement that means you and your spouse split up custody by moving in and out of the home, while your children stay there. For example, if custody changes every other week, rather than sending the kids to your spouse for a week and then getting them back, you’d just move into their house for a week, while your spouse lived elsewhere, and then swap with him or her at the end of the week.
This is a fairly new idea, and there are some significant upsides to consider:
— Children often feel less stressed and more comfortable.– You don’t need to have two closets full of clothes, two toothbrushes, two of every favorite toy, and the like.– If children live close to their friends, they don’t feel like they’re “moving away” every other week.– The same goes for school, church, and every other social area.– Children, who are often very fond of having their own rooms, get to stay in those rooms.– You and your spouse don’t necessarily have to sell the marital home, but can keep splitting the cost.– Lines of communication can be improved.– You can split up the cost of utilities.– Your children get something that is as close to the typical family lifestyle as can be provided.– There is never confusion about where children should get mail or phone calls.
Of course, these situations can get very complicated for a number of reasons, especially the financial ones, so make sure you know your legal rights in California.
Source: Romper, “Is Birdnesting Good For Kids? The New Post-Divorce Arrangement Puts Kids First,” Alana Romain, accessed May 03, 2016