Tag Archives: empty nest

How to Cope with an Empty Nest

Your “baby” has grown up, started college, and moved away to live in a dorm or apartment. This experience can leave parents with a mix of strong emotions. It also requires adjustments in how you and your college student relate to each other, and alters what your day-to-day life is like. Here are some ways to cope with an Empty Nest. Allow Yourself to Feel Whatever Emotions Appear A national survey done in 2013 by Clark University of over 1,000 parents found that 84% missed their kids once they moved out. 60% of parents said they were glad to have … Continue reading →

Prelude To An Empty Nest

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Friday. For so long it was my favorite day. Friday meant I got to spend two full, uninterrupted days with my family. Since my divorce, Friday has become something else entirely. Every other Friday morning I kiss my daughter good bye, knowing that her father will pick her up before I get off work and it will be two long days before I see her again. I try to drag the work day out. Searching for unfinished projects that need my immediate attention. Anything to make the work day as long as possible and delay going home to an empty … Continue reading →

Changing Patterns in Marriage -Part 2

The pattern of marriage changes when offspring leave home and go off to college. Suddenly the married couple is back to a twosome, that’s assuming they’ve managed to stay together throughout all the other phases. Statistics tell us many do not make it this far. Others break up once family is gone. Sadly, many couples find when they finally get back to being a twosome that they have lost each other somewhere in the process and no longer have anything in common. This is why it is so important through all the earlier years and phases of marriage to keep … Continue reading →

How did I get from “I can’t Leave my Baby!” to “It’s Time for You to Go!”?

I was talking with a friend of mine who is a new parent. She was going on and on about how “in love” she is with her baby and how she just cannot imagine ever being able to leave the infant! In fact, she cannot see how anyone can get a babysitter, send their child off to public school or (gulp) spend a night apart from the baby. I couldn’t help but smile. I remember well being that enamored parent! So in love with my darling baby or babies that I just couldn’t see myself NOT being the ever-present mother. … Continue reading →

Chasing Them Out of the Nest

I feel myself shifting gears—without really making a conscious attempt, I find that I am changing from being the protective, nurturing parent of dependent children to nudging and pushing them as they prepare to leave the nest. I never would have imagined that I would be both ready and understanding of my children’s inevitable departure, but it seems almost biological. I feel like one of those animal mothers who, when the time comes, runs her children out of the next so that they can begin to live life on their own. My kids and I have started to joke about … Continue reading →

Expect a Few Practice Leaps Before Leaving the Nest

My own personal experience with leaving home has left me a little skewed. I may have mentioned before, but I turned 18, graduated a half-year early from high school, enrolled in college, rented my own apartment and moved out—all within about a week. Of course, I had been planning, budgeting and saving for nearly two years leading up to my emancipation but I did it boldly and never looked back. I think that since this was the way I did it, I assumed that everyone leaves the nest with such assuredness. The truth is, however, that most kids need to … Continue reading →

What Are You Talking About?

I often wonder whether some married couples talk to each other at all. The number of times I have heard one half of a couple talking about something they’re planning or hoping to do or have done, and then find their marriage partner knows nothing about it. It’s like they exist in two different worlds and the two never meet. ‘Don’t they ever talk to each other?’ I say, as I think of the hours my husband and I spend talking about all sorts of things. And yes, many of them are probably the same things we talked about when … Continue reading →

Without the Children: Would You Have Anything Left to Talk About?

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In a recent article that I wrote I discussed how the order of priorities suggested in The Power of a Praying Wife had caught me off guard. I went into discussion about how the book tells us to put our husband before our children. After much thought on the subject, I realized that the statement is true. After posting the article, I received a reader comment from Dale. Her comment once again got my wheels to spinning. In her comment she remarked about how when children are put first, there is nothing left when they move out and leave home. … Continue reading →

The Paradox of Good Parenting

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Parenting is the most important job in the world. It is also the most difficult. The responsibilities inherent in the position of CEO of a multi-national corporation pale into insignificance when you consider the qualifications necessary for being a good parent. So why is parenting so hard? Parenting is hard simply because the skill level required to be an effective parent is very high. Only certain personality types are really suited to the job of parenting. A certain level of maturity is also required to adequately perform the role of parent. In short, a person applying for the position of … Continue reading →