Many Texans have ideas of what it will be like to be a parent, but the reality is often much more than a person can imagine. It is a love like never before, and this level of love and desire to care for a child can make it challenging to address major life changes, such as divorce. Ending a marriage means that parents need to establish a child custody arrangement. On paper, this might seem straightforward. However, in action, this process is challenging, as it is often difficult for divorcing parents to reach an amicable agreement.
Take actor Josh Lucas and writer Jessica Clencin Henriquez for example. The two divorced back in January of 2014, and they have shared their story about their ups and downs with co-parenting. While they experienced rough beginnings and the need to make various attempts, the two claim they have mastered the art of co-parenting because they are both completely committed to raising their 5-and-a-half-year-old son.
Thinking back on it, Lucas claims that it was a remarkably complex period in his and his ex’s life. However, they are both doing the best they possibly can in order to keep their son’s life stable. This means trying different shared parenting methods. One way the divorced couple has made this matter work is through bird-nest parenting.
Bird-nest parenting, which is a fairly new concept, is where the child remains in the family home while the parents rotate in and out of the home for their parenting time. This is just like nesting birds. The idea is that it is not the child’s fault that the parents divorced; therefore, the child shouldn’t be the one forced in and out of the home.
This type of shared parenting method is not for everyone. Sometimes it requires trial and error, as co-parenting can look vastly different from family to family. Thus, those dealing with child custody or family law issues should understand how best to resolve the matter while also keeping their rights protected.
Source: People.com, “Everything Josh Lucas and Ex Jessica Ciencin Henriquez Have Said About Co-Parenting Their Son,” Jen Juneau, March 2, 2018