He had rendered our only milk Unpourable!
(An aside: This is an example of what inspired me to write my next book, about marriage. If you are a husband or wife, you can participate in my research by answering my survey, at www.WhoDoesMore.com.)
This incident leads to an Empty Nest truism, one that I'd like to digress upon for a moment. Once the children are gone from the house--no more noise and distraction, problems and anxieties, car-borrowing and money-wrangling--when it's just the two of you, couple issues become really obvious, out there in the open. That's why I'm making such a big deal about my useless half-gallon of milk--it's looming large in my daily household consciousness. That's because there's nothing else going on here.
I've written a whole chapter about marriage in my new book, BEYOND THE MOMMY YEARS, so I won't repeat myself here. Let's just say that as soon as the youngest child leaves home, there's some grieving for the child who's moved on, but there's also a certain amount of astonishment--horror even?--about being left all alone with one's spouse. Couples find themselves Alone Together just the way they were during the Honeymoon Years. Only they don't look nearly as good, and they aren't nearly as interesting--all those years of talking only about the children have worn them down.
Do you agree?
