As we get more and more feedback about the concept and the site, there is a regularly recurring concern: “Fine idea, but for many people not financially feasible.”  We did address this important topic in the “FAQ” section of the KidsStay.org site, but it would seem to merit further discussion.

What is the cost?  Just last week I spoke with the mother in a Maryland family who have done this for 9 years.  They kept their home together for their three girls while the parents moved in with relatives on their “off” time.  The extra expense was apparently negligible.

Using the traditional model where both parents maintain a home suitable for their kids, they are chronically paying for extra space and there may be a bit of an unspoken competition between them, each to provide a nicer accommodation.   Using the KidsStay concept, each parent can opt for an additional apartment or space with friends and family.  The cost at most is one extra apartment and even that may be mitigated by a roomate or other family.

Most of all, one must measure costs against costs.  Is the burden of an extra apartment greater than the burden the kids feel from constant migration?  Whose problem is this, the parents or the kids?  And, whose responsibility is it?

Rob Crane, MD

Welcome to KidsStay.org, a child-centered site for parents who are ending their marriage. The concept is simple. When parents divorce, their kids continue to reside in the family home while parents alternately move back and forth to parent their children in the home. Kids maintain their own room, their neighborhood, their pets, their friends and, to a degree, their sense of place and security. Parents, presumably adults, have greater ability to cope with changing residence and the inconvenience it imposes.

Welcome to KIDS STAY, a child-centered site for parents who are ending their marriage. The concept is simple. When parents divorce, their kids continue to reside in the family home while parents alternately move back and forth to parent their children in the home. Kids maintain their own room, their neighborhood, their pets, their friends and, to a degree, their sense of place and security. Parents, presumably adults, have greater ability to cope with changing residence and the inconvenience it imposes.