When you look at various divorce trends, one thing that you’ll see is that some couples will stay together while their children are young. But when those children move out of the house, the couple becomes empty nesters. At this point, they get divorced.
Friends and family members are often surprised. The couple may have been together for 20 years or more, so no one thought that they were going to get divorced. Why would it happen at this time?
It makes the problems in the marriage more obvious
In some cases, there have always been issues with the marriage, even during those 20 years that the couple was still together. They just didn’t realize how significant the issues were because raising the children took a lot of time and energy. They weren’t focused on being a couple, but on being parents. When the children are removed from that equation, then they refocus on each other and the issues and conflicts become more noticeable.
It was an intentional choice
In other cases, parents are well aware that they want to get divorced. They’re unhappy in the marriage. But the issue is that they believe it would be better for their children if they stayed together. Once the children become adults and get married or go to college themselves, then the parents feel more freedom to end their own marriage.
In some senses, an empty nest divorce is less complicated because child custody issues do not need to be addressed. But it can also be more complicated when looking at asset division and financial questions. Couples who are in this position need to know about all of the legal options they have.