Can nesting work? Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada) and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau sure hope so. Their children will remain living in their home in Ottawa with their father, while their mother has moved to her own residence nearby. When the Prime Minister is away on state business (which occurs somewhat regularly), Sophie will move back in to take on primary parenting duties. The kids don’t move in or out of the home--the parents do. The children remain in the proverbial nest.
Typically, neither parent claims the nest as their primary residence and both parents alternate being the parent in the nest. The Trudeaus have particularly unique circumstances in which the Prime Minister remains in the nest and only Sophie rotates in and out of the nest. Nesting can be your solution when you want to have minimal disruption to the children. No child is packing up their stuff to move out of the home or between two homes -- they go to the same school, participate in the same extra-curricular activities, see the same doctor and have the same friends as before. Sounds great in theory.
In reality, there are a lot of logistics to work out when nesting. This is where divorce mediation can be a huge help. At Westfield Mediation, LLC, you can develop a plan before you get separated or divorced to address your post-divorce nesting lifestyle: what are the details involved and how to financially pay for it.
If you can afford it, then each parent may want to get their own small place to reside in when they are out of the nest. This arrangement involves having three households to financially support. More often, the non-nest is a small one-bedroom apartment close by that each parent utilizes when they are out of the family home. Parents should treat the non-nest like an Airbnb and make sure there are fresh sheets on the bed, garbage and dishwasher are empty, staple of food items are available and it is clean. They should also leave the nest in the same clean, proper working order. How do you handle grocery shopping, laundry, chores, pets, maintenance issues, lawn care, etc., for the nest? What if you have a new partner or want to bring a date back to the non-nest? These types of issues should be addressed beforehand and can be in mediation. The reality of nesting is--it is a lot of work.
For more information about nesting and divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M.Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373. View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com
Typically, neither parent claims the nest as their primary residence and both parents alternate being the parent in the nest. The Trudeaus have particularly unique circumstances in which the Prime Minister remains in the nest and only Sophie rotates in and out of the nest. Nesting can be your solution when you want to have minimal disruption to the children. No child is packing up their stuff to move out of the home or between two homes -- they go to the same school, participate in the same extra-curricular activities, see the same doctor and have the same friends as before. Sounds great in theory.
In reality, there are a lot of logistics to work out when nesting. This is where divorce mediation can be a huge help. At Westfield Mediation, LLC, you can develop a plan before you get separated or divorced to address your post-divorce nesting lifestyle: what are the details involved and how to financially pay for it.
If you can afford it, then each parent may want to get their own small place to reside in when they are out of the nest. This arrangement involves having three households to financially support. More often, the non-nest is a small one-bedroom apartment close by that each parent utilizes when they are out of the family home. Parents should treat the non-nest like an Airbnb and make sure there are fresh sheets on the bed, garbage and dishwasher are empty, staple of food items are available and it is clean. They should also leave the nest in the same clean, proper working order. How do you handle grocery shopping, laundry, chores, pets, maintenance issues, lawn care, etc., for the nest? What if you have a new partner or want to bring a date back to the non-nest? These types of issues should be addressed beforehand and can be in mediation. The reality of nesting is--it is a lot of work.
For more information about nesting and divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M.Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373. View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com