Looking for empty nesters...

journaldelaware · #1 07-10-2008, 02:26 PM

I am a Delaware-based journalist working on a story on empty nesters and how they make the transition to help other parents coming up through the ranks. Care to share your story with me?

Even if it's been a while, I'd like to know how you made the transition. How did you feel when your last child left home? What did you do about it? Where are you with it now?

Chase · #2 07-10-2008, 02:35 PM

Welcome to the site JD, there are quite a few empty nesters here i would say, my mom being one of them

im sure you will get some responses...

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Green Lantern · #3 07-10-2008, 02:55 PM

Welcome to TD.

frogman68 · #4 07-10-2008, 03:17 PM

Hell you take my 2 kids the 5 dogs and maybe my wife and I will tell ya what it feels like to be a empty nester

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tricksterde · #5 07-10-2008, 07:00 PM

We are part time empty nesters. We helped to get the first set of kids out but have had an influx of grands. We had great plans for the house- sewing room, media room, but instead we have kept the older grand's room (original room from when she came home from the hospital at birth) and added a nursery for the middle one when she hatched out. We are soon to start on a killer kid entertainment room to contain all the little kidlets in one kid safe room. The newest kidlet is just across the street and hasn't stayed over. As much as we long for peace and quiet and the opportunity to do what we want to do after 34 years we also enjoy the kidlets and want to be part of their lives too. We just tell ourselves that one day when we are old(er) and feeble(r) we will miss the constant motion of the kids and as we sit and drool on ourselves we will wish back to the days of unending, unwavering love we feel now from our "second set".

hockey · #6 07-10-2008, 11:50 PM

Welcome JD.

I'm not an empty-nester yet but I look forward to following one of my "Moms"........

When my husbands Mom (widowed) finally sent her youngest off to college, she packed a bag and headed for Florida. She bought a home there and has been living the high life ever since, traveling, cruising and constant partying with all her newly made friends. She is happy as hell and enjoying her new found freedom. She stays in contact with her 4 kids and 6 grand-kids by phone and yearly visits back to DE/TN. She looks amazing too.... she's found the fountain of youth.

Now, my Mom (divorced), who is the exact same age as my husbands Mom, is still in DE. She is still very active in all her 5 grown kids lives as well as her 9 grand-kids lives. She attends as many softball, little league, volleyball, graduations, b-day parties, spring and holiday concerts as humanly possible. She is always available to hang out with the g-kids and give them rides as needed. She is my best friend and I call her for every little issue. I can't ever imagine her going far away although she does travel a few times a year to visit her youngest son in Europe. She looks the granny part although she is wildly cool.... she cooks up a storm every holiday and she is all about tradition and staying a major part of all of our lives.

Two very different empty nesters in one family. I admire them both so much. Now, which one will I be mostly likely to follow?

Pythoness · #7 07-11-2008, 10:20 AM

My mom got a dog when I left the house. lol.

I came back to get something and there's this huge shaggy mutt standing at the top of the stairs, wagging wildly and looking just blissfully happy to see me, even though she didn't know me from Eve. lol.

So far in the time since I've left the house she's adopted two cats and the one dog. Fill the house with cats and dogs! That seems to be her solution.

Now that she has a grandson, she takes him one weekend a month and that helps, too, although she says she's always depressed when he leaves.