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Empty Nest Syndrome
Empty nest syndrome it happens.. Each
fall a new round of parents learn to deal with what is now
called “Empty
Nest Syndrome”. This is where parents
have to learn to deal with their children being gone from home,
off to college or a full time job. They often have feelings of
loneliness and sadness. It is to be expected once the
children are gone. But at the same
time you have to realize that it will just be the two of you
again – freedom and free time, with just you and your spouse.
This will give you a chance to reconnect as a couple and spend
more time together.
You are going to have an emotional
rollercoaster for a while, but please realize that your child is
having the same problem. You and your child should be strong
together. What will help you with this transition? Will this
also help your child? These questions being answered could make
it easier for the both of you. Maybe talking on the phone each
day and sharing how things are going will make you still feel
connected. I am sure there will be tears and there will also be
some happiness when you all realize the freedom that you have
gained. Your child has gained their independence and you have
your life back.
Now that you have the time to live life as
you've always wanted, do it! Travel and explore the country.
Sleep in or do nothing all day! Just be careful not to add any
more big changes to your life. This could cause an emotional
rollercoaster.
Now that it is just you and your
partner at home, you are going to be
cooking less at each meal. This will most definitely be an
adjustment. It might also help you quite a bit to just ‘run out’
and grab something to eat. Think about this before you do it.
The more that you start eating out, the less money you will
have, and your waistline will increase. You could still cook the
same amount of food. It would give you leftovers to eat when
there is a night you do not feel like cooking. Cooking for the
freezer is a great option, allowing you convenience without the
extra calories fast food often adds.
Now that it is just you and your
partner at home, you can start having
more conversations together. This will be important to enjoying
a fulfilling relationship. You can find things to do together
all the time. Maybe you can find things to do together that you
never knew you wanted to try! Get out and live life to get
fullest! If you and your partner want to be doing different
things, see if there isn’t a way that you can combine them.
Example would be if you wanted to work on a knitting pattern and
he wants to watch a basketball game, sit in the same room, or go
to a live game and bring along your knitting. You can connect
just by spending the time together.
The last step of dealing with
empty nest syndrome is not to worry
about redoing the room that your child moved out of. Redoing the
room doesn’t mean that the child is gone forever. Feel free to
go a little wild when redoing the room. You can paint almost any
room for about $30. Just make sure that the room or another room
in the house has somewhere for the child to stay when they come
home for the summer or a weekend vacation. Imagine, you could
have the craft room, sewing room, or home office you've been
longing for – in the color scheme you've always dreamed of!
Researching
empty nest syndrome might help you
prepare more than people who do not read up on empty nest
syndrome – allowing you to understand that the feelings you're
going through are normal. Just remember that this is a great
time for you to express yourself and have fun. Get out and live
life to the fullest.
Marcia Chumbley is a
work
at home mom and grandmother in Minnesota. She
is the owner of a
Christian Work From Home Moms
website
at
Faithful Grannies
http://www.faithfulgrannies.com
bringing generations of
Christian Work From Home Moms,
Grandmothers, Parents, Boomers and Families together
while providing resources, inspiration and affordable
advertising while balancing the work at home experience. She
holds a degree in Business and is a CMOM.
Article Source
CWAHGrandparents.com
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