It’s been seven weeks since O left for college and four since H left. With a full month under my belt now, I can safely say I think I’m adjusting pretty well to empty nesthood.
Case in point: My husband and I just returned from a mini celebratory vacation with friends (who have a full year of empty nesting under their belts).
Don’t get me wrong. We’re not out galavanting around the globe for weeks on end. We still have jobs and responsibilities — not to mention two college tuitions to pay for. But when the opportunity presented itself to join friends in Florida last week, we were able to say yes freely, without having to consult the family calendar to see who had a game or event we needed to attend instead.
The truth is, empty nesting has its ups and downs. There are good days and bad days — just like parenting when the kids are living at home. Most days, I’m happy knowing they are doing their own thing, growing and learning, and living their best lives. Other days, I miss them … A LOT.
I miss our daily conversations and gossip sessions. I miss bonding over (and making fun of) bad reality dating shows and watching O play football on Friday nights (although I don’t miss the forced socializing and crowds). I miss our banter and gentle teasing. I miss their laughter, their hugs, and the energy they bring to the room. I even miss their silly TikTok dances and off-key singing.
What I don’t miss is their mess. The pile of shoes left the door, the baskets of clothes in the laundry room, the candy wrappers under the couch, the dirty dishes in the sink … You get the picture.
I also don’t miss the noise. Between the Xbox, TV and their FaceTime phone calls with friends, it gets loud and I get overstimulated … Then I get bitchy.
And I especially don’t miss the teenage attitude when asking them to help around the house — although, if I’m being honest, I do miss having them take out the trash and reach things on the upper shelves for me, even if it comes with an eye roll or heavy sigh.
The good news is, O comes home for fall break next week. Then in six weeks, they’ll both be home for Thanksgiving break. A full week with a full house … What’s the over-under on how long it takes me to go from joyful to pissed off once they start making a mess and screwing with my new routine?
Our past track record hasn’t been great, so I give it two days.
Until then, I’ll continue to inundate them both with nonstop memes and bad puns as a display of my love and a not-so-subtle reminder to call home.
— LJDT
