Child-centred approach to shared parenting: Children’s experiences of bird’s nest parenting arrangements

Abstract

While shared parenting is considered the best model for meeting children’s needs, we still lack knowledge about the impact of different custody arrangements on child well-being, including potential effects on children’s health and stability of a lifestyle that involves travelling between households. Employing an interpretive phenomenological research design and the ‘responsibility to needs’ approach, this study explored children’s experiences in a bird’s nest parenting (hereafter, nesting) arrangement, where children reside permanently in one home with both parents rotating. A 2022 qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with seven children from four nesting families. The findings revealed how nesting eases the transition to separated family life by preserving the lifestyle to which children are accustomed. Children emphasised both the emotional and practical benefits of nesting, linking physical stability to emotional well-being. Nesting made children feel independent and autonomous as they enjoyed managing their time according to their own needs. The opportunity to grow up as a family with siblings at a permanent home was greatly valued. While a positive relationship between parents was considered helpful, the findings indicate that nesting can be feasible even in cases of parental tension. The children’s experiences indicated that their parents’ overall satisfaction with the arrangement was more crucial to successful nesting.