When you have children with a former spouse, the two of you have to decide what parenting plans work for you. Birdnesting is one plan that many parents become interested in. Birdnesting involves sharing the family home with the children. Instead of the children leaving every week, the parents switch on and off in the family home.
According to Psychology Today, to continue to let the children use the family home helps them with the transition. Before choosing this parenting plan, however, both parents have to understand the benefits and disadvantages of this form of parenting.
Children and birdnesting
Children of parents who co-parent and birdnest tend to have a secure relationship with both parents. They experience less stress and adjust healthily to the divorce.
Birdnesting is temporary. You should keep the arrangement for a few months and use it as a transitional period. If it lasts too long, your children may falsely believe that you and your spouse will remarry each other. However, some families managed for as many as nine years.
Relationships and birdnesting
There are situations where birdnesting becomes inappropriate. For example, if you and your spouse had a toxic, violent or controlling relationship, this form of parenting cannot work. To make nesting work, you have to coordinate and be able to talk with one another. You both have to keep a level of trust for one another.
If the two of you can remain honest with one another and set up unbroken boundaries, then birdnesting may work. Couples who can remain amicable co-parent better than those who have disagreements.
