You're listening to Family Talk, the radio broadcasting division of the James Dobson Family Institute.

I am that James Dobson, and I'm so pleased that you've joined us today.

Welcome to Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh, and you know, we are a listener-supported program, so thank you for all you do to support us.

And thank you for your feedback, which encourages us to keep bringing you relevant content.

We're glad that you've joined us for today's program. It's quite encouraging. And who couldn't use some good news in this day and age right now, right?

Well, you know, if you are married and you have kids, when your last child leaves home, a new phase of

your marriage begins. Many couples struggle to adjust to this new chapter of life. In today's

classic broadcast, Dr. Dobson interviews Dave and Claudia Arp, and the three discuss

eight challenges that couples face in the empty nesters stage. They offer wonderful solutions and

practical tips for any couple who wants to connect and grow together. The ARPs have written a book

entitled The Second Half of Marriage, facing the eight challenges

of every long-term marriage. That book is the basis in part for today's and tomorrow's

programs. The ARPS are the founders of Marriage Alive International, a wonderful organization that

is built to support your marriage with resources and engaging speakers. The ARPS have written

over 30 books and have been

married for over 55 years. Well, there's a lot of practical and wonderful illustrations to learn

from the sweet couple, so let's get started. Here now is Dr. James Dobson.

How do you define the second half?

What does that really mean?

Well, it's an ambiguous term, and we mean it to be an ambiguous term because we know it as the empty nest.

Everybody recognizes that, but in our culture today, for many couples, the nest is not empty, or it empties to refill, or couples gotten married later in life and so or remarried

so that they may have adult kids, they may have kids in grade school. They can even have,

...