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Bird-nesting: Can this trend be the new co-parenting for your family?

Bird-nesting: Can this trend be the new co-parenting for your family?

Bird-nesting  is the new co-parenting which  means the child alternates between each parent’s home on a set schedule. This can disrupt the child’s routine and make it hard for him or her to adapt to life after the divorce and continue doing well in school. Realizing this, some parents have adopted a new way of co-parenting: bird-nesting. With a bird-nesting agreement, it is the parents, not the child, who alternate between households.

Here is how bird-nesting works: the couple retains ownership of their marital home, potentially as co-owners or with an arrangement that involves one parent buying out the other’s share of the home’s value or an agreement that they will sell the home and split the profit after the child moves out as an adult. The child remains living in the marital home while his or her parenting plan dictates when each parent lives in the home with him or her. During a parent’s “off” time, he or she might live in a rented apartment, a separate home, or with family or friends – this is for the divorced couple to determine. In some cases, the couple also shares this “off time” lodging, alternating between this home and the marital home according to their parenting plan.

The Advantages of Bird-nesting For You and Your family

Couples who choose bird-nesting arrangements choose them because they offer the following benefits:

  • Less disruption to the child’s established routine;
  • No hassle of having to sell the home;
  • No need for the child to relocate;
  • When the parents’ alternate home is a small apartment or staying with extended family, bird-nesting can save them money; and
  • There is no need to schedule pickups, drop offs, or build travel time into the parenting plan

Drawbacks of a Bird-nesting Arrangement

Bird-nesting can also have so disadvantages. It is not the right choice for every couple, and in some cases, the features of bird-nesting that are benefits for some families are drawbacks for others. Potential disadvantages you can face with a bird-nesting arrangement include:

  • Greater levels of conflict with your former spouse. Because you are still sharing a home, despite not living in it together, you will need to communicate more and inevitably, you will see each other more. You will also be far more exposed to each other’s parenting and interaction with your child;
  • If you both buy or rent individual homes, you will face costs associated with your purchases and/or rentals in addition to remaining responsible for your marital home’s mortgage, utilities, and property taxes; and
  • It can be more difficult to move past your divorce and date again when you have the high level of contact with your former spouse that comes with a bird-nesting arrangement.

Work with an Experienced Winter Park Divorce Lawyer

Depending on your family dynamics and your relationship with your former spouse, bird-nesting might be a viable co-parenting option for you and your former spouse. To learn more about bird-nesting and other parenting plan options, contact our team of experienced Winter Park divorce lawyers at Sperling Ducker PLC today to set up your initial consultation with us.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/co-parenting-after-divorce/201307/birds-nest-co-parenting-arrangements

 

 

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Winter Park’s Family Law Attorney Aubrey Ducker Recognized by Marquis Who’s Who for Excellence in Law

Mr. Ducker is a counselor at law of the Law Offices of Aubrey Ducker

WINTER PARK, FL, October 31, 2017, Aubrey Ducker has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Inspired by his family, Mr. Ducker became a collaborative attorney for family law and elder law in Florida, and achieved an AV peer-reviewed rating from Martindale-Hubbell for excellence and ethics in law. He was named one of the “2017 Best Attorneys” by Orlando Style Magazine, and provides representation in guardianships, advance health care planning, and complex family law matters. The firm covers every aspect of family law, from adoption and birth to caring for probate estates and grandparents’ rights.

Both of Mr. Ducker’s grandfathers were very hard workers and laborers who instilled in him a strong work ethic. His wife was an attorney when they met and he admired the way she helped people, so he became an attorney as well. Mr. Ducker attended Valencia Community College, and was named treasurer of the Alpha Gamma Omega chapter of the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa. He completed a BA with the University of Central Florida in 1996, and went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, where he served as the president of the Law College Council.

Mr. Ducker works with the Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida, helping families make their own decisions instead of allowing courts to decide their future. He is chair of the board of directors of Christian Ethics Today, and serves on the Religious Liberty Council of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty. Additionally, Mr. Ducker holds a seat on the board of directors of the Mustard Seed of Central Florida, and is the director of the Sunday school at the Church on the Drive, a cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Ducker served six years with the U.S. Navy. He holds a special place in his heart for the elderly after caring for his own aging grandmother and parents-in-law.

As a member of Florida’s legal community, Mr. Ducker is affiliated with the Orange County Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, and maintains membership in the American Bar Association. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, travel, cooking, and rooting on his favorite sports teams, the Florida Gators, Orlando Magic, Orlando City Lions and Orlando Pride.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:

Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Congratulations to Commissioner Robert Stuart

After taking the month of May off from writing my blog, I thought it was important to note the swearing in of Robert Stuart as Commissioner of Orlando.

Robert is a dear friend, a trusted adviser, an excellent city commissioner, and my Sunday School teacher at College Park Baptist Church. Monday’s swearing in ceremony at Orlando’s City Hall begins another four years of service for Robert, on top of his last eight years as Commissioner of Orlando’s District 3.

Additionally, Robert has served as the executive director of the Christian Service Center for more than 20 years.

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