I'm not a parent but I am somebody's child, and I am out of the house, but it would still be the most painful thing in the world to lose my parents. Just because your kids will be out of the house doesn't mean they won't need you! Think about the weddings, the graduations, the births of grandchildren that you'll miss and they'll always wish you were there for. Just because they won't need you the same way they do while they live under your roof doesn't mean that they aren't going to need you as much or possibly more in the future.