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When the kids move out, divorce may follow

On Behalf of | Jul 4, 2024 | Family Law |

Many different things can spark divorce in a person’s life. However, these aren’t always the things that people expect, such as job loss or an extramarital affair. In some cases, it’s as simple as becoming empty nesters.

An “empty nester” is a parent whose children have moved out of the house. Most often, this just means the children are going to college, but they may also be joining the military, getting married, buying their own homes or starting careers. Once all the children have moved out, the parents are empty nesters, and they may be closer to a divorce.

Why would this cause divorce?

In some cases, divorce happens because the couple views the next stage in their life differently. Say that one person has always dreamed of retiring and traveling the world. The other person never plans to retire, wants to stay near home and plans to keep working as long as they can. It’s not that either one of these decisions are right or wrong, but their plans for the future may not be compatible.

In many cases, the issue is that the couple was experiencing some level of marital stress for years or even decades. However, they were so focused on raising the children together that they were somewhat distracted from their own issues. Once those children have moved out of the house, the distraction is gone, and they have to address the conflict between them.

Divorce can be very complicated at this age, especially from a financial perspective. Couples need to know what legal options they have when considering retirement benefits, asset division and much more.