“Not that long ago, my son really needed me. Some days, he needed me for more than I could give. But suddenly, those days are distant memories,” writes Diana Park. “As much as I thought I’d enjoy free time back then — along with extra headspace and not feeling touched out every day — the transition is harder than I thought.” Worth reading, even if the days of independent kids seem far, far away.

“For some couples, sex is as easy as it ever was (lucky them). But for most, it waxes and wanes and changes over time. And generally speaking, it doesn't happen nearly as often as it did in the honeymoon phase,” writes Katie McPherson. But how much are other people doing it? She asked an expert, and you may find it reassuring.