An empty nest may bring parents closer together

By Tara Parker-Pope

Published: January 20, 2009

The empty nest may not be such an unhappy place after all. Since the 1970s, relationship experts have popularized the notion of 'empty nest syndrome,' a time of depression and loss of purpose that plagues parents, especially mothers, when their children leave home. Dozens of Web sites and books have been created to help parents weather the transition.

popularize  [‘pɔpjuləraiz]vt.使受欢迎, 使有名望普及, 推广syndrome  [‘sindrəum]n.综合征;

But a growing body of research suggests that the phenomenon has been misunderstood. While most parents clearly miss children who have left home for college, jobs or marriage, they also enjoy the greater freedom and relaxed responsibility.

And despite the common worry that long-married couples will find themselves with nothing in common, the new research, published in Novemb