Is this a wise or a wacky child custody solution?

Dividing parenting time is one of the most difficult aspects of any divorce. Most Colorado parents struggle with how to make the process of co-parenting easier for both adults and children. There are a multitude of ways to approach the process, and some work out better for a family than others. One of the more unusual child custody arrangements is known as “birdnesting.”

In a birdnesting setup, the child remains in place within the home while the parents move in and out according to a schedule. This allows the child to have one room, with one set of favorite toys and one closet full of all of his or her clothing. It eliminates the need for a child to pack up and head out to mom’s house or dad’s house. That means less disruption to the child’s life, and a greater measure of stability.

That stability, however, comes at a cost. The parents have to go to great lengths to arrange their own lives around this type of unorthodox custody scheduling. They are the ones who have to pack up and move between household. They are the ones who have to deal with necessities or comforts that were accidentally left behind. They are also the ones who have to foot the bill for supporting both the birdnest home and whatever household they will return to when it is not their parenting time.

Birdnesting is not a good fit for every family. Many Colorado parents cannot accommodate this type of arrangement due to their work schedule. Others simply cannot bear the expense of having to contribute to the cost of two households as opposed to one. Another factor that can throw a wrench into things is when one parent enters into a new relationship, and the new partner wants to build a relationship with the child. For some, however, birdnesting offers a novel solution to the longstanding problem of managing child custody scheduling.

Source: New York Post, “Is “birdnesting” the stupidest – or smartest – divorce trend yet?“, Anna Davies, April 28, 2016