Empty Nest Syndrom: Why having having children early in life may be detrimental to your marriage.

The empty nest syndrome refers to the time in family life after the children have grown up and moved onto college, work, marriage, or their own independent lives. For parents, this can be a time of strong feelings. Some experience joy, fulfillment, and relief. Others feel loneliness and anxiety, or a combination of both good and bad feelings. For some parents, this is marked by the pain of loss and the anxiety of letting go. …

…little difference. Deciding to have children early in life will lead to an empty nest earlier in life. This can be detrimental to one's marriage. However, waiting until later in life to begin a family could decrease the risk of marital disruption significantly. References Hiedemann, Bridget, Hiedemann, S., O'Rand, A.M. (1992) Economic Independence, Economic Status, and Empty Nest in Midlife Marital Disruption. Journal of Marriage and the Family, (60), 219-231. Colman, Perry. (1990) Empty Nest. Mothering, (55), 24-25.