Maryland divorce courts are generally happy to approve any sort of custody/visitation arrangement that is beneficial to the children involved, and that is agreeable to the parents. One such option is called a “nesting arrangement,” which is an alternative to a more traditional visitation schedule where the children are “shuttled” from one parental home to another. There are some variations to what is considered a nesting arrangement. But, generally, with a nesting arrangement, the children live in one residence while the parents “shuttle” to other homes/residences during the “parenting time” of the other parent. As an example, assume one parent “gets” weekdays with the kids and the other “gets” weekends. In a nesting arrangement, the kids reside in the same home for all seven days. When the weekend arrives, the “weekday parent” leaves, and the “weekend parent” arrives. In some arrangements, the parents are sharing a second residence somewhere. In other arrangements, the parents have their own separate homes or places to live.

Nesting arrangements have some obvious benefits for the children involved. These include consistency, lack of disruption in terms of sleeping and daily routines, no packing for trips, no “travel time” between homes, no worry about “hurrying” to be “back on time,” etc. The obvious disadvantage for the parents is each of them having to find a place to live when the other parent is having their parenting time. There are also some other practical problems, such as which parent is doing the grocery shopping, the laundry, and the chores.

When might a nesting arrangement be optimal?

Aside from parents who might have a preference for a nesting arrangement, there are a few situations where a nesting arrangement might be the optimal choice. The first is where one parent, for any number of reasons, is not prepared to establish a residence suitable for the children. This might mean something like being unable to afford an apartment with enough separate bedrooms to accommodate the children. As another example, the non-custodial parent might have a job that requires travel. In such a case, maybe an efficiency studio apartment or an extended-stay hotel suite are better options. However, such would not necessarily be a fit for having children during parenting time. Thus, a nesting arrangement could be optimal.

Another situation where a nesting arrangement might be the optimal choice involves situations where other persons will be residing at one parent’s other home. Often, this is a new romantic partner. In such cases, a nesting arrangement might be a better option than having to explain the idea of a new romantic partner to one of the parents.

A final situation where a nesting arrangement might be the optimal choice is where the Maryland divorce court has reservations about the residence of the parent seeking visitation. The court’s reservations might be similar to those discussed above or might involve other matters. Whatever the reasons, suggesting a nesting arrangement might “solve the problem” and persuade the court to allow visitations.

Contact Waldorf, Maryland Family Law and Divorce Lawyer Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland family law and divorce lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Divorce lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD, 20601.