Many children of divorced New Jersey couples live in a shared custody arrangement that involves them moving back and forth between the homes of their parents. To reduce the disruption, a strategy called nesting has attracted the attention of some parents willing to try something different, at least in the short term.
With nesting, the children remain full time in the family home and the parents take turns living there and performing parental duties. One pair of parents who tried nesting rented an affordable apartment near the family home. The parent who was not serving as the custodial parent for the week would occupy the apartment. The approach saved them money because they did not need to invest in two houses, and the children got to experience greater stability during the divorce process.
Although nesting takes the burden off of children to move between two households constantly, the strategy has some disadvantages for divorced parents. Arguments can erupt over such things as chores and finances. For these reasons, nesting is seen as a short-term solution that allows children more time to adjust to the divorce before splitting time between the homes of two custodial parents.
A parent going through the process of ending a marriage and setting up a child custody agreement might consider creative approaches that help children adjust. Legal advice could help a parent understand options, and an attorney might also keep negotiations about the co-parenting plan focused on productive compromises instead of arguments. In addition to parental concerns, an attorney could assist in negotiating a property settlement agreement.
