At the Time I Didn't Think It Was Possible

Just enough for a Nativity Scene 1979!
 Our fifth child came a few years later

Many years ago when I had 4 children under the age of six, someone told me there would come a time when I would wish to relive this stage of my life. At the time I didn't think it was possible because of the diapers, sleepless night, and general chaos I was enjoying at the time. But,now that it has been several years since my youngest child has left our home and my husband and I are "empty nesters," I  find that I sometimes long for those messy and noisy days.

For a couple who is in the midst of providing for and raising a family, planning for when there won't be children in the home is  unthinkable. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research has indicated that "couples who are age 50 or older were twice as likely to divorce in 2015 as in 1990." One explanation that researchers have found for this is "empty nest syndrome." What can happen is when parents are busy with their children they may not nurture their own relationship; they may put problems on the back burner due to concerns with the family; they may find other interests; and  when the children are gone the couple may know themselves better as mom and dad than husband and wife.It takes effort to keep a marriage healthy so when it is just two again it will be a satisfying time of life.