Now for the couple whose children have already departed from the home.
Below are 29 questions that you should place on individual 3 x 5 cards and shuffle them so that there is no predetermined order. Place the deck between the two of you. Using two die, the person who begins throws the die and counts down to that number in the deck. This is their question to answer. Once finished, the card is placed in the middle of the deck and the next person throws the die and answers the question. After four or five times, the deck is cut or shuffled so that new cards can be chosen. Each person should be free to ansswer as they desire. Before the game begins, agree on the length of time that you will continue.
1. How has the empty nest affected our relationship?
2. How has the empty nest affected our relationship with the congregation?
3. How do you feel we are relating to our adult children?
4. What is one area of our relationship that you think we have neglected because of our focus on our children?
5. What do you think we should discuss in preparation for retirement?
6. From our present perspective, how do you think our future retirement will affect our lives?
7. What is one concern and one hope you have in retirement?
8. How do you think we are addressing our health concerns as we grow older?
9. Where do you think we should live in our retirement?
10. What is one financial concern you have about retirement?
11. How do you feel we should adjust our charitable giving?
12. How do you anticipate each of us spending our time in retirement?
13. How are the demands of ministry affecting our relationship with our grandchildren?
14. How do you expect each of our children to balance time spent with us and time spent with their spouse’s family?
15. How do you feel about our adult children’s religious journey?
16. How have your spiritual needs changed?
17. What is a question you now would like to ask about the ministry?
18. How would you feel if one of our children asked to move back home?
19. If one of our children moved back home, what do you think we should expect of him or her with respect to rent, household responsibilities, etc?
20. How do we honestly discuss holiday expectations with our adult children?
21. How should our family’s exchange of gifts change at this stage of our life?
22. What changes do you think should be made to our wills at this time?
23. Do you think we have signed appropriate powers of attorney, Powers of medical attorney, etc.?
24. Without children at home, what is one activity that you would like to participate in?
25. How does the lack of two- and three-day weekends affect our relationship?
26. How do you think we are doing in sharing basic household tasks?
27. How do you feel about how we are responding to the needs of our parents?
28. In times of crisis, who would you turn to for pastoral support?
29. What is a good health practice that you think we should consider?
Again, you may add additional questions to the deck and play it several times to address the various questions. Remember that there is no order to the questions. They are chosen at random according to the throw of the die.
