In The Couple?s Retirement Puzzle we talk about Time Together and Time Apart as one of the ?must-have? conversations for transitioning to the second half of life. It?s not unusual that partners have differing expectations.

For example, Mary, a woman who had primarily worked at home didn?t want her husband, Frank, around all of the time. In fact, she didn?t want him to retire from his work until he had a plan. She didn?t want him sitting around, being bored, maybe rearranging the kitchen cabinets, wanting her to cancel her plans so she would be around and basically being dependent on her for their social life.  A stereotype? Yes. Something that often happens? Yes.

Judy, in contrast, expected that her husband would want to do everything with her and she looked forward to it. He, however, wanted to pursue some other interests that she didn?t share.  Morris wanted to sell their home and move to Florida.  Ruthie, in contrast,  hated Florida and wanted to stay in the family home and live near the grandchildren.  Although never spending time apart, they finally reached a creative solution. He rented a condo in Florida during the winter months and she stayed in their family home. Result: they ended up enjoying their time apart and learning new things?and saw that their relationship improved when they were back together. Thomas, in preparation for retirement,  learned to play a new musical instrument and joined with other musicians for ?gigs?  while his wife continued in her usual activities, getting together with her friends and volunteering. Creativity in how to spend time together and apart is crucial for couples, whether you?re married or not.

I recently read an article in the WSJ Article on September 9^th, 2013,  by Psychologist Maryanne Vandevere. From my perspective, she expanded on this notion of time together and time apart in an interesting way. She wrote about the role of parallel play in the life of retirees. She pointed out that, similar to small children, who play side by side and don?t always interact with the activity,  successful retirees have a similar process when each learns something new, follows their own passion and their partner also does their ?own thing.? Each develops their own interests and it enhances their relationship since both are happy, enjoying their own creativity and mastery. This can bring new energy and excitement to the relationship.  It works for kids?why not give it a try in the second half of life?

Vandevere comments that ?individuals who do almost everything together in later life?who are ?joined at the hip? usually aren?t as satisfied or fulfilled as couples where spouses have their own interests and , ideally, are learning new skills. She points out that ?the model of parallel play meets the needs ?for both freedom and involvement.?

What are the benefits, you may be asking?  Vandevere suggests a few, such as more interesting dinner conversations, confidence for each that you can function independently and ?tonic for the soul? to have some time and space for  separateness and self-reflection. She also points out that challenging oneself can bring both mastery and pride and, as the old adage says, ?absence (often) makes the heart grow fonder.? I like her image that ?parallel play gives you ?roots and wings? and allows you to grow.? She further states that ?It promotes the major task for this stage of life: becoming as whole as you can be. ?

My suggestion: talk together about your expectations about time together and apart and creatively think about the notion of parallel play in your life and relationship. In the process, you can challenge and develop yourself  and have more to bring back to your partner. I?d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this.