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Family Law Lawyer in Rockville, MD

There is a new approach to child custody that more and more parents around the country are trying. Traditionally, when a couple divorces, their children go back and forth from their mother’s home to their father’s home for custody and visitation. However, in bird nesting arrangements, it is the parents who do all the traveling and the child stays in the same home no matter which parent they are with.

Although this custody arrangement definitely wouldn’t be for everyone, there are many couples who have had success. If you would like to learn more, contact Daniel J. Wright to meet with one of our child custody attorneys.

How Does Bird Nesting Work?

Bird nest custody lets the child stay in the home and the mother and father take turns staying at that home and having their parenting time. Each individual couple sets their own parenting time schedule, whether it is every other night or every other week. On nights when the parent is not scheduled to be with the child, they go to their own home. The purpose of bird nest custody is the amount of stress that children of divorce normally go through.

Multiple studies have proven how devastating divorce can be for children. Many children are left with emotional distress, cognitive problems, school issues, psychological trauma, and developmental issues. Children can even suffer physical issues over their parent’s divorce.

There have also been studies that have found that the suicide rate for children of divorce, especially boys, are higher than for children from two-parent homes. One of the factors that can make a difference in how a child is affected has to do with the way their parents deal with the divorce and how they deal with each other. If a child gets to spend equal time with each parent in their own bedroom every night, many of the emotional effects of divorce can be lessened.

Creating a safe and stable environment for a child is key to how successfully they adjust to the divorce and bird nesting can go a long way in creating this stable environment.

How Do You Know if Bird Nesting Is Right for Your Family?

Bird nesting is not for every family. Parents should – at the minimum – should be able to answer yes to the following questions:

• Do both parents communicate with each well?
• Are both parents able to cooperate with each other on a high level?
• Do both parents each have another home to live at when it is not their parenting time?

Contact a Child Custody Attorney for Assistance

Are you going through a divorce and need to come up with a custody plan? Is bird nesting a custody option you may want to consider? Contact a law firm to meet with a family law lawyer in Rockville, MD to find out what your legal options may be. A member of the legal team can meet and discuss what all your legal options may.

Contact Daniel J. Wright for their insight into family law and bird nesting in child custody cases.