Divorcing parents understand that one of the hardest parts of the split is the impact it has on your child. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do to ease all of the pressure, pain and anxiety that a divorce causes. But there are steps you can take to provide your child with more stability and comfort.
The way you choose to co-parent can serve as one of these steps. You may want to look into different forms of cooperative co-parenting such as bird nesting.
How does it work?
Psychology Today discusses the co-parenting option called bird nesting. This differs significantly from traditional methods of co-parenting because it allows your child to permanently reside in the family home instead of traveling between you and your co-parent’s house as dictated by a visitation schedule.
Instead, you and your co-parent will take turns living in the family home with your child. This provides them with a familiar living environment, which can give a sense of stability to hold on to when everything else in their life changes rapidly.
What do you need?
To make bird nesting work, you need two primary things: stable finances and trust in your co-parent. You need the finances to have a second living accommodation since you cannot stay in the family home non-stop anymore. If you do not have the money for a studio apartment, consider a motel or hostel. You can also ask if any friends or relatives nearby would put you up temporarily.
Trust-wise, you and your co-parent need a mutual understanding and belief that the other will treat the family home with respect and care, even when they are alone in it. If you meet these requirements, you may want to speak with legal aid to learn more about this option.
