The rate of Bird Nesting is on the rise.  Bird Nesting refers to a co-parenting arrangement in which the children stay at one home and the parents are the ones that move in and out.

For example, Bill and Jennifer were divorced in 2015.  They agreed to 50/50 parenting time with their 2 children (aged 15 and 17).  On Friday, Bill stays at the home for 7 days.  The next Friday, Jennifer arrives at the home and stays for 7 days.  The goal of bird nesting is to keep the lives of the children as stable as possible.

Obviously, bird-nesting is not for every divorced couple.  Some drawbacks are:

• Lack of privacy
• Cleaning issues
• Expenses for the bird nesting home while maintaining another home during your non-parenting week
• The challenge of a new relationships and those partners living in the bird nest

Bird nesting can only work when both parents agree to put aside the issues that led to the divorce and focus on maintaining one stable residence for the children.  It works best when parents live close to one another and focus on the benefits for their children.  Many parents that choose this option when they have older children and the arrangement ends after a few years.  When the last child graduates the parents agree to sell the home.