Hot divorce trend 'birdnesting' explained as nation gripped by ITV drama Our House

ok.co.uk:

ITV drama Our House follows the story of a couple who decide to 'birdnest' after a separation. Instead of selling the family home, they decide to maintain joint ownership of it and keep it as a base for their children.

In 'birdnesting', the kids stay where they are and the parents do the shuttling back and forth. One parent stays in the family home, while the other stays in a flat or bedsit nearby, and then they swap.

Despite being a rather unconventional approach, it is on the rise, lawyers note, largely among middle-class families. Supporters of birdnesting - so-called because bird parents take it in turns to look after their young in the nest - argue it creates greater stability for the children. “We wanted to keep stability for the kids, and not just tear up everything all at once,” 38-year-old Niklas Björling from Stockholm told the BBC.

His young family nested for eight months after he and his wife separated. “The children could keep their home, school and friends as before,” he explained.