The most dangerous phase of any long marriage isn't the first year or the seven-year mark - it's the year after the kids leave, when two people who have been co-parenting for two decades have to suddenly remember how to be two people who chose each other, and most couples have forgotten what that looks like and aren't sure they'd choose again - Silicon Canals

"The shock of silence hits harder than you expect. Nobody warns you about the silence. Sure, people joke about empty nest syndrome, but they make it sound like you're just going to miss the kids. That's not the half of it."

"We used to be good at this. Back before kids, we could talk for hours about nothing. Dreams, plans, stupid jokes. But somewhere along the way, we forgot how to be us. We only knew how to be Mom and Dad."

"Here's what happened to us, and maybe it happened to you too. We turned into business partners. CEO and CFO of the family operation. I handled the money and the house repairs. She managed schedules and school stuff."

The transition to an empty nest can lead to unexpected challenges in a marriage. Couples often find themselves facing a silence that highlights their disconnection. After years of focusing on children, partners may feel like strangers. The shift from parenting to reconnecting requires effort, as couples realize they have become more like business partners than romantic partners. The absence of children forces them to confront their relationship and rediscover their connection, which may have been neglected over the years.

Read at Silicon Canals