68 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2019 There are so many positives to graduating to an empty nest: No more bickering between siblings. A deep exhale after the chaos and anxiety of adolescence. Quiet satisfaction of successfully shepherding your offspring into the next phase of their life. Freedom from the demands and the attention required to keep children focused and thriving. Going to the bathroom without interruption. Sending the last of the children off to college and the accom- panying loss of being “needed” by your kids, can sometimes stress a shaky marital relationship to the breaking point. Your 20-something-year marriage that has been primarily focused on child-rearing now seems adrift in an ocean of uncertainty. Before, you “had to” stay together for the children. But now that they are gone, why should you stay? Often the answer seems impossible to find. The transition from kid-focused par- ents back to husband and wife can be daunting. It is a period of life that, for most, requires getting reacquainted with the person you married; who they are, what they need, and what they want. Often it also involves getting reacquainted with the person you are now; what you need and want. This reacquainting is not easy. It can produce more questions than answers, and some of the answers you find lead to difficult choices. You reach a place in life where the fruits of your labor should allow you to finally focus on yourself, on the one you love, and on pursuing what should be your mutual passions. Instead, you find yourself questioning everything, and the answers lead to a place you never anticipated. By Chris Oldner | Contributor GRADUATING TO THE EMPTY NEST: YOUR MARRIAGE AFTER RAISING CHILDREN SENDING THE LAST OF THE CHILDREN OFF TO COLLEGE AND THE ACCOMPANYING LOSS OF BEING“NEEDED”BY YOUR KIDS, CAN SOMETIMES STRESS A SHAKY MARITAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE BREAKING POINT.