What are the pros and cons of nesting?

When coming up with child custody arrangements post-divorce, Louisiana residents may often consider the traditional options that would be in their child’s best interests when it comes to joint physical custody and legal custody. Even though parents and courts alike try to ensure the time spent with each parent is equal to the other, it often involves a lot of upheaval for children, such as kids packing up and going from one house to another routinely. This causes confusion and the eventual phone call asking for homework or a violin to be brought from one location to another, for example.

Another option gaining popularity as a way to provide children with the stability they need to flourish is “nesting.” Nesting is an arrangement in which the children remain living in the family home and it is the parents who rotate in and out, depending on the custody arrangement. This practice allows everything to remain stable and predictable for the kids and avoid a situation where there are two sets of toys, bedrooms and materials.

It sounds like a great arrangement, but divorced couples considering the option need to seriously assess their individual situation to see if it could work for them. Emotionally, some may feel they are invading one another’s personal space, and issues such as leaving the house a mess or neglecting to do the grocery shopping before leaving the house may cause latent issues to surface. On the other hand, financially it could also tax a couple, because they would be required to maintain three houses, and some states do not recognize a separation if the couple is still living together. Others find the option viable, serving as a short-term solution to help children transition from one living situation to another.

Everyone’s situation is unique and family law provides a number of options for divorcing couples to consider. At the end of the day, everyone wants what is best for the children involved, and an experienced attorney may be able to help couples find a way to amicably achieve it.