Creative Custody Arrangements

There are many different types of custody arrangements for families, but it can take some time to find the solution that works best. For some parents, traditional custody arrangements work, but for others, they need to come up with solutions that are more out-of-the-box. Nesting and double nesting are both arrangements that allow children to stay in their original family home. But both require parents to be able to get along reasonably well. Other parents that work unusual schedules might prefer to change up time blocks. And finally, for children with demanding extra-curricular activities, it might make sense to base custody around their schedules. It can take some trial and error, but hopefully you and your family can come up with the solution that works best for you.

Creative Custody Arrangements: Finding the Right Fit for Your Family

Nesting

Nesting is one of the creative custody arrangements that is becoming more and more popular. Rather than children going back and forth between two parents’ houses, children stay in the family home. Instead, the parents are the ones that take turns living in the house with the kids or living in their own space. This way, the children don’t experience as much change. However, it requires the parents to be able to get along reasonably well as they’ll need to mutually use the same space.

Double Nesting

Similar to nesting, double nesting is another of the unusual custody arrangements that requires parents to be able to get along. With this arrangement, both parents stay in the same house with their children. However, they live in separate spaces within the home and act more as housemates. This obviously requires parents to be able to get along very well and is not a great fit for all families.

Changing Up Time Blocks

Some parents choose to shake up the traditional time blocks to fit their schedules. While common time blocks often have parents switching off every few days, some parents have custody arrangements that are built around their schedules. For example, they might have one parent handle overnights, and have the other do after-school care. Or have one parent handle weekends if the other works at that time. This works well for parents who work opposite shifts.

Following Extra-curricular Schedules

Finally, for some families, it makes the most sense to find custody arrangements that follow their children’s extra-curriculars. For example, if a child is very serious about sports or academics, it might make sense for them to live more with the parent that lives closest to school during their sport’s season. Especially if one parent lives a long way from their school. Then they can reverse the schedule during off-season or summers.

Finding the right custody situation is an important aspect of making the divorce transition easier on children. There are many creative custody arrangements that you can try if the traditional ideas don’t work well for your schedules or lifestyle. For example, nesting and double nesting both allow children to remain in their family home. However, both require parents to be able to get along well to make the arrangement successful. For others, it makes sense to base custody around work schedules or sports/extracurricular schedules. Finding the right solution will make the divorce process less stressful on children and therefore, less stressful on parents as well.