Have you heard of “birdnesting”? It is a parenting style that fits the unique needs of parents who are divorcing or who have already divorced. The main focus of birdnesting is keeping the lives of the children as intact as possible. Some celebrities are using this parenting style.
Birdnesting is an arrangement between two separating or divorced parents for the purpose of making their children’s lives more comfortable and secure. Typically, children of divorced parents have to move from one parent’s home to the other. Birdnesting turns this concept around and requires the parents to do the traveling.
It starts with a “family home” – which is the home that the family is currently living in. Each parent must find and rent their own apartment.
The children will continue living in the “family home”. Parents must sit down together and have a conversation with their children. The purpose of the conversation is to let the children know that the parents are getting a divorce. Parents reassure the children that their lives will not change as a result.
One parent will temporarily move into the “family home” for a agreed amount of time. When that time is up, that parent moves back to their apartment and the other parent moves into the “family home”. In short, it is the parents who must travel back and forth while the children stay put.
The name of this parenting style probably refers to the way that some birds raise their children. The babies stay in the nest until they are old enough to fly away. One parents stays with the babies, and then the other parent takes a turn.
Birdnesting is thought to provide children with a sense of emotional security. The children stay in a comfortable environment while they adjust to their parent’s divorce. The parents continue sharing parenting responsibilities, but in a way that looks a bit different than before.
Like all parenting styles, birdnesting is not for everyone. In order for it to work, the family must have enough money to continue to paying the bills at the “family home” and two apartments. That makes this parenting style financially out of reach for some families.
While there are many parenting styles that are easily understood and recognized, birdnesting is not among them. Parents may find themselves answering a lot of questions about how it works.
Related Articles at Families.com:
* Co Parenting – The Right Thing, But Not the Easiest Thing
* The Pros and Cons of Co-Parenting