Moving through the checklist that comes along with divorce can be stressful. In addition to emotionally cutting ties with your ex, you’ll probably be separating your finances, splitting assets and moving out of the home you share.
However, taking an alternative route to having your children live between two homes can help you ease into the separation process of divorce. You can implement a nesting living arrangement where your children live permanently in the family home, while you and your spouse take turns living in the family home when it’s your turn with the kids. Nesting can help families transition to life after divorce and set the stage for making a bigger move further down the line.
Eliminate moving stress
If you make the decision to keep the family home, for at least a short period of time, then many other divorce decisions will come with ease. Sure, you and your ex will have to find a place to live when it isn’t your time on the custody schedule. But you won’t have to think too hard about scheduling drop-off and pick-up times for the kids because they will always be at same place. Plus, you won’t have the pressure of figuring out a new place, neighborhood and school district that is kid friendly.
Keep up routines
Your children might also feel less stress if they don’t have to move and live between two homes. Instead, they can adjust to their parent’s separation in a space they are familiar with and while experiencing little to no change in their daily routines. Not only can this predictability create comfort, but adults and children can experience health benefits with consistent habits. For example, if you continue to keep up the same bedtime schedule after divorce, then your children may be able to maintain upbeat energy and strong mental health.
Sharing the dwelling — even while you don’t live in it at the same time — can require a lot of interaction between you and your ex. But speaking with a professional legal expert can help you determine if your family could benefit from using nesting as a stepping stone or long-term solution.
