Anyone else quite enjoy the Empty Nest?

[hoardingwealth]

Love my kids to bits. Obviously! But I’m quite enjoying this next stage, where they have moved out and are making their own lives. The house is quiet, peaceful, tidy. There are no school runs or jobs that come with having kids at home. I’m sitting here now, watching a documentary with wine, knowing that no one needs picking up from anywhere. I’m enjoying this peaceful phase of life. Anyone else?

How lovely to see a positive thread about this. I’m a few years off uni age etc but I’m genuinely excited to see where they go and what they do. I’ll fill my life easily enough and get to watch them fill theirs too. I can’t wait to find out what they become as adults.

I know I’ll miss them, I’m not daft. But I’ll not be bereft.

Yes, this is the bane of my life. I have grown to absolutely hate this question and the jobs involved in answering it!!

My two are mid twenties and have REALLY flown the nest. One in Oz, one in Far East.

I’m bloody proud of how I raised them as a single mum. We’re in pretty much daily contact, usually initiated by them. Just silly or interesting things that have happened in their days, much like we used to share over the dinner table each evening. Not needy on anyone’s part, just nice relationships I guess.

I’d always thought it was a parent’s role to prep your kids to go off into the big wide world. Whether that was a few roads away, or thousands of miles.

And I’m also someone who loves living alone. Everything on my terms (especially bathroom use!) Brilliant.

I'm still having this with dd2. Luckily if she doesn't like what I'm making she'll sort herself something else. Happens most days!

After a couple of days feeling the loss, I suddenly realised we could go out and not have to tell anyone where we were going or when we would get back, no having to tell our young adult children that we are out for the evening so they can cook for themselves and what not to use in the fridge as thats for tomorrows dinner.

As a couple we felt the we had gone back to pre children days, no responsibilities other than for ourselves, as everyone else said, we love our children and still spend a lot of time with them but I am enjoying this stage of my life.

Both my Kids were more than ready to leave and have thrived. They did not have the same childhood experience as you as they grew up with a Mother who has adored them, it is sad you experienced this. After 23 years of always putting them first i am now loving putting myself first and make no apologies for this, it does not deplete my love for them one bit in fact DD is sitting next to me having come home for the weekend and I could not be happier to see her.

@Scarlettjune This thread should make you feel the complete opposite of sad. It's a thread filled with people who adore their kids and are proud they've got them from babies to adults and doing what they're supposed to be doing. I have children in laws now too and I LOVE how much my family is growing and yet I'm also glad that my day to day parenting job is done. DH and I did a great job!

@Scarlettjune it's not about being glad that your children are gone. It's about being proud of watching them fly. It's about embracing who you are having succeeded at raising your children and them becoming independent. As a parent of younger children it gives me joy to see these stories. I'll absolutely feel it when my children don't live at home anymore, I love their company and their craic, but I also want them to go off and live their lives for themselves and on their terms, that's not a bad thing.

Your experience is very different and I am sorry you experienced that.

It’s not full of people who adore their kids.

one poster wrote ‘what was it all for’ when she thought back on her kids

I adore my Dd. But she was 24yo when she moved out to go to uni. She’s having the time of her life living in a big city, being an adult, has a whole new life. I see her quite a bit (I go over to her ) we had brunch today, her life is exciting and totally moving on and I’m thrilled for her.

She’s not planning on coming back over the summer. I reminded her she can come back for all of it, some of it, or none of it. Whatever she wants. She knows she’s welcome back.