This article “Don’t want the freedom of the empty nest” resonated with me, particularly these paragraphs:
“The sad thing is, when my own children were small our family activities had to be restricted mostly to free things. My decision to be a stay-at-home mom at that point meant an entertainment budget so tiny as to be nonexistent.
I guess I could call my kids and announce the exciting news that I can now swing the money for pony rides, but I don’t think they would react quite how they would have a decade or so ago….
I hear so many people my age talk about the freedom of the empty nest. No need to worry about getting a babysitter to go out. No need to worry that a kid’s recital or sports meet might pre-empt your wish to go somewhere with your friends. These things are true, but it’s also true that I can no longer visit Santa at the mall or attend Easter egg hunts. I’m not sure it’s a fair trade.”
Since we had kids, my life has been all about enjoying my life WITH my kids.
With just a couple more years before my nest is totally empty, I am trying to plan on how to enjoy life as an adult without kids.
I suppose that’s why I like to hang around the kids at church. I suppose that’s why I want to go live in a foreign country for a while. That is something I never wanted to do with kids, something that would’ve been bothersome with kids, and now I can do it freely with my husband.
My challenge is to maintain enthusiasm for life and not let age and health issues…and the empty feelings of the empty nest get the best of me.