The divorce process includes a lot of moving parts, whether you have children or don’t have children. In your case, there are special considerations you must take to ensure your children continue to feel your love and support as you make major changes to both your lifestyle and their living situation. If you feel like there is no way you want to delay separating from your spouse but are seeking a solution to accept the new realities of divorce with more ease, then you can consider a nesting arrangement.
Through nesting, you and your ex will be the ones living in two separate dwellings. So, rather than having your children go from living in one home to living in two homes, they will stay put in your current family home. And when it’s your parenting time, you will make your way from a second home back to the family home, while your ex packs up and leaves the family home until it’s their time with the kids.
How long you choose to implement this arrangement is completely up to you. Many families find it to be a useful, short-term setup to stall time before moving. So, if you think nesting will give you the time and space to decide how to keep your children’s schedules consistent while you switch off parental responsibilities, then it could be a great option for you. Or, if there aren’t many homes for sale in a neighborhood you believe is ideal for your children, then you might like to nest until you are confident in your next move.
A nesting arrangement also works well if you can easily find a place to stay while it isn’t your days or weeks with the kids. Since you might not know the exact duration of this arrangement right from the start, nesting works best when divorcing couples have options on where their off-site residence can be.
You can consider:
- Staying with a family member or friend
- Utilizing another property that you own as a temporary home
- Renting an apartment or home with a lease that’s easy to break
- Not moving at all and just staying in different areas of the family home
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that continuing to share a space with your ex might result in frequent interactions. But, if you are both on the same page about your reasons and goals of nesting, then you should be able to keep your peace as you begin your co-parenting journey.
