Waiting to divorce until the kids leave home ... are you doing more harm?

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Making the decision to divorce your spouse is never an easy one, but when children are in the picture, the decision is likely to take them into account as well.

While it's true New Jersey is known for high property taxes, congested roads, and a bombastic governor, we're also home to one of the lowest divorce rates in the country. According to data from the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University, New Jersey was home to the fourth lowest divorce rate in the U.S. in 2015, the latest year data is available for.

The data finds that 12.9 per 1,000 people in New Jersey got divorced in 2015. That compares to 16.9 per 1,000 people in the U.S. The national total represents a 25 percent decrease since 1980.

And while fewer couples are choosing to divorce, for some it's the only option left after they've exhausted all others. But what happens when kids are involved? Is it easier to wait until they are finished high school and moving onto college, or are you doing the kids more harm by waiting?

Divorce attorney Randall Kessler weighed in on the topic for Divorce Magazine.com on whether couples should wait to divorce until the kids are older. In his post for the magazine Kessleer wrote, "that one thing I have heard over and over from mental health experts (therapists, psychologists, and others) at various family law seminars, is that children whose parents divorce when they are very young, infants or toddlers, seem to adapt to the divorce much better."

Obviously, there's no right answer for when it's the best time to get divorced. Whether you do it when the kids are toddlers, tweens or young adults, there's no doubt there will be an impact.

Did you wait to divorce until the kids left home? Share your story by emailing us at forever39@nj1015.com. That's just part of what Annette and Megan talk about in the latest Forever 39 podcast — listen above.

Also from this week's Forever 39 podcast — Why most women think they're the better friend PLUS: Are you annoying others when you post your vacation photos on social media? Click on the podcast player above to hear the entire episode.

Share your thoughts on all of them below, on Twitter, on Facebook or at forever39@nj1015.com.

— Annette and Megan, Forever 39

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Join us for next week’s podcast when we chat about open relationships, tipping, and dating again after loss.