Life can change significantly for parents who become empty-nesters. Over roughly two decades or more, they may get very used to having children in the home. But when the last child becomes an adult and moves out of the house, the parents are suddenly on their own.
For some couples, part of this change is that they decide to file for divorce. Below are three reasons why this happens.
They were waiting to become empty-nesters
In some situations, the timing is intentional. The parents may have wanted to get divorced five or 10 years ago, but they decided not to split up while they were still raising children together. They intentionally waited until the children moved out, and then they got divorced.
Relationship problems became clear
In other situations, couples may have thought they had a strong relationship, but some of their problems became more obvious when the children moved out. They were no longer distracted by parenting. They could focus on their own relationship exclusively, and there were just too many conflicts or disagreements to ignore. They may have drifted apart without realizing it.
They want different things
Finally, because this is a time of change, empty-nesters are often considering retirement and what they want their future to look like. Some couples find that they have a very different vision for this stage in their lives. They get divorced so that they can both pursue the life that they want.
Empty-nester divorces typically do not involve child custody issues, but property division can still be complicated, and it is crucial that couples know what legal steps to take.
