When children move out of the house, parents are often referred to as empty nesters. They may have spent the last 25 or 30 years raising their children to adulthood. But those children have now left to get married, go to college, start careers and much more.
What sometimes happens is that the parents find that their own relationship has suffered. Divorce often follows this stage in life, so becoming empty nesters could even end the marriage. Why does this happen?
Distraction
One reason is just the distraction that the children provide. Parents may not even realize how unhappy they are in their personal relationships. They are just very busy and focused on meeting the children’s needs. But with no children in the home, they are no longer distracted, and they realize that there are a lot of problems they haven’t dealt with over the years.
Staying together for the kids
Another potential reason is that couples will sometimes stay together, even if they’d like to get divorced, just because they think it’s better for their children. This may be why a couple divorces relatively quickly after the children move out; they believe that their parental obligation is over and now they can end the marriage.
Does this make divorce easier?
In some ways, this can make divorce easier for parents. They don’t have to split up custody of the children or make child support payments.
At the same time, there can still be a lot of financial complexities. Empty nesters are closer to retiring, so they have more assets, and they are concerned about their financial future. Parents who are in this position need to be sure they understand their legal rights and the options they have.
