It’s that time of year when many parents experience empty nests as their young adults head off to college or full time jobs. I’m starting to feel abnormal as I read yet another blog post on how much the parent will miss their child.
Empty nest syndrome is defined as feelings of sadness and loneliness in parents when children leave home and it’s something I can not relate to. Even though I wasn’t so happy that my youngest son moved across country, here are six reasons I was happy he DID move out.
1. Mission Accomplished: Isn’t the whole goal of raising children for them to be able to live on their own? When my son moved out, I knew he could support himself and wouldn’t be back anytime soon. It meant we did our job well.
2. Better Sleep. Although sleep can be problematic at my age at least I don’t’ have someone coming into the house in the middle of the night. If that didn’t wake me up, the shower going on in the wall next to my bed did.
3. Less Cooking. There was something about having a child I bore in the house that made me feel responsible for making sure we all had dinner every night. Once he left, I told my husband I was done being responsible for dinner. Thirty years of this duty was enough!
4. Lower Food & Utility Bills. I expected lower grocery costs with one less mouth to feed but was amazed how much our gas and electric bill dropped. Of course that one person took twice as many showers as us and used the dryer as an iron regularly. Who knows how many electronics he had plugged in at all times in his room. The savings add up to an extra dinner out every month.
5. More Privacy. Remember that privacy you had before kids? You might have run around in underwear (or less) or left the bathroom door open when doing your business. You can again when the kids leave. No worries about them overhearing or seeing anything!
6. Visits. My son has made it home several times the past two years and I’m visiting him next week. I love experiencing him adult to adult even though we’ll always have our mother-son bond.
Don’t get me wrong, I love both my sons very much. We are always here for them if needed, but this mother bird was about to push that last one out of the nest if he hadn’t jumped first. What do you like about having an empty nest?
All good points, and we feel the same, but think number 1 is the big one.
I will try to remember all your good points when my son learns to fly…I figure about ten more years or so (he’s 10), which might get to feeling like a LONG time. He is tolerating his dad’d and my concurrent midlife crises fairly well, however. So we have that going for us.