It is most common to have a joint parenting situation after a divorce. Even once you sign the divorce paperwork, if you have children with your ex-spouse you will be partners with them in this for the rest of your lives.
The good news is that there are multiple ways to have a happy family and comfortable living arrangements post-divorce. One non-traditional living arrangement that is becoming more popular is nesting. Nesting involves the children staying in the same house while the parents move in and out taking care of them like parent birds with babies, according to Psychology Today.
Why would we want to do this?
A very common reason families decide to nest is cost. Particularly if the family home is in a very expensive area, there is the possibility of the parents not being able to maintain households in that neighborhood as single entities. If the parents decide that they want to keep the children in the same school system with the same friends, they may decide to combine their incomes and nest after divorce.
Nesting is also relatively common at the beginning of divorce. Often at this stage the parents want space from each other, but they also do not want to prematurely disrupt their children’s lives. Thus, nesting becomes a stopgap.
How long does nesting last?
In some situations, nesting has lasted until the kids are old enough to move out on their own. However, this is less common. It is more common for nesting to be temporary until the adults move on and start their own households and lives.
