Getting a divorce is often a stressful process, and if you have children in the mix, it can be even more difficult because you have to concern yourself with their needs as well as your own. Nesting is one potential way that you and your ex can share parenting responsibilities while lessening the stress on your children.
What is nesting?
One of the most common stressors that people have during a divorce is struggling to balance the children’s schedules and emotional needs, and nesting eases this struggle. If you share child custody with an ex-spouse, you can sometimes still share a house. You just have to be there at different times.
Nesting involves the children staying in the same home, and the parents taking turns living at the house according to whether they’re on-duty or off-duty for taking care of the kids. When a parent is off-duty, they might live in the attic or an apartment. They might even choose to share an apartment with their spouse if the finances are tight.
Other steps to alleviate stress on your children
Along with nesting, you can reduce the stress that your children feel during a divorce by maintaining routines because children thrive on them.
You should also be honest with them about the divorce so that you maintain their trust. Some children may benefit from counseling so that they have someone who can help them better understand their feelings.
When you’re trying to navigate the complexities of a divorce, putting your children’s needs high on the priority list is absolutely necessary when you want them to trust you. Nesting is one option, but most people only do it for a period of time and switch to another option as children become more accustomed to the changes.