As part of divorce proceedings, a North Carolina judge must decide whether to approve or modify a child custody agreement. Alternatively, a judge may create a custody ruling from scratch if no parenting plan was presented to the court. Generally speaking, both parents will be allowed to spend time with their kids after a marriage ends, and in some cases, the nesting strategy is deemed to be in the child’s best interest.
The parents rotate between two homes
In a traditional child custody arrangement, the child will spend time living in each parent’s home. This may be stressful for a young person because it may mean spending a lot of time in a car, away from friends and in unfamiliar environments. Nesting allows the child to stay in the family home while the parents will split time between that location and their own home or apartment.
Nesting can help everyone
Nesting may be ideal for a child because it means sleeping in the same bed every night and going to the same school as they always did. It may also mean staying close to extended family members and others who may form the child’s support network. It can also be ideal for parents who need more time to help their kids cope with the divorce or who need more time to figure out what to do with the home itself.
A nesting agreement may be helpful
Writing a nesting agreement may make it easier to ensure that the child and the home are properly taken care of. The contract could stipulate who is responsible for cleaning the house, making repairs or taking care of other tasks that might arise.
Regardless of how you choose to raise your children after a divorce, it’s important to remember that they are the top priority. Therefore, you will likely need to be willing to work with your former partner to ensure that the children are healthy and happy.