Pennsylvania estranged couples may be familiar with the concept of shared custody. In this type of arrangement, children of divorced parents will spend part of the week with one parent before spending the rest with the other. However, a concept called nesting allows the child to stay in the same home with the parents rotating between the family home and an outside residence. This may be ideal for children because it allows them to feel a sense of permanency.
Children may also benefit because they will see their parents cooperating with each other. Finally, a child may benefit because he or she can get into a routine, which may be comforting in a time when everything else may feel uncertain. Nesting can be good for parents who may not have a lot of money to buy their own place.
Under such an arrangement, the parent who doesn’t live at home can live in a small apartment nearby instead. However, the main drawback is that a child may see his or her parents working together and think that they may work out their issues. It may also take the consent of both parents to work properly, as courts have rarely ordered parents to submit themselves to such an arrangement.
In many cases, joint physical custody is awarded to parents in a divorce settlement. However, parents who are denied custody may wish to talk to an attorney about ways to increase their parental rights. Parents who wish to have sole custody may also benefit from talking to an attorney about ways to show that it would be in the best interest of a child. It is important to note that courts look primarily at meeting the best interests of a child regardless of what parents want.