Many parents in New Hampshire and across the country will file for divorce before the end of this year. In doing so, they often hope to make co-parenting plans with their children’s best interests in mind. Some of them are trying a unique child custody arrangement known as “bird-nesting.”
The benefits of bird-nest custody are many, with the main one being that children typically live in the same house they shared during their parents’ marriage. This, in turn, usually means they will not have to go to a new school or move to a new neighborhood. This type of custody arrangement helps kids maintain a sense of routine and normalcy during a time that is often quite disruptive.
Here is how bird-nest child custody works
When parents implement bird-nest custody following a divorce, they agree to rotate living in the family home with their children. The schedule might change every week, every three weeks or every few months — whatever the parents determine is best for the family. When it is not a parent’s turn to live with the kids, he or she stays in a secondary residence, usually a nearby apartment or a rented space in the home of a relative or friend.
It makes sense to set some boundaries and create a formal parenting plan that details their agreement, including any issues about private spaces in the home, new romantic partners, upkeep and maintenance of the property and other material issues. If complications arise, it is good to have a support network that includes an experienced child custody attorney.
