The Sound of Silence
There were probably times you wished for time off from parenting, for a parents union that entitled you to vacation days and sick days like everyone else. And yet. . . now that they've finally gone to college, you miss them. Their beds are always made, and their rooms are perfectly neat. . . but seem empty. You never thought it would happen, but you find yourself yearning for the noise, the music, the telephone ringing and the doors slamming.
The Bright Side
As with anything, you can choose to see the "nest" as half-empty or half-full. There may be up sides to an empty nest:
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A telephone line that someone can actually get through on.
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Having the music you like in the house or the car.
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A refrigerator that stays stocked (or doesn't even have to be).
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The ability to go away for the weekend.
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More time to lavish one-to-one on a younger child.
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Uninterrupted time to reconnect with your spouse.
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The opportunity to pursue the personal interests that you put on hold while raising children: travel, a new career, taking courses.
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The freedom from having to nag your teenagers to clean up after themselves, to eat properly, and to remember that money doesn't grow on trees.
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Getting your car back. Being able to sleep soundly because you're not listening for them to come home.
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An extra room with closet and drawer space that you may be able to appropriate on a temporary basis (Remember, come May, they'll be back with even more stuff.) For the time being, however, you could use the space for exercising or a crafts project or a place to spread out and organize all those photos you've been meaning to put in albums.
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And, the smug knowledge that maybe your college students are beginning to appreciate how good they had it at home!
