Oh my! What a question for one who is still coming to terms with the strange new world of the empty nest.
This year my third and youngest child turned 18 and followed his siblings to university.
Suddenly I was faced with the need to redefine myself.
50 - nothing like young. A bit of self image to let go of there, then.
Still (always) a mum - but not a hands-on, essential day to day kind any longer.
My own parents died just before I was ready to go to university, so I have no experience of flying the nest to draw on...so the processing of detaching myself from my own children as they launch out into adult life has been both demanding and completely new territory.
Right now I am struggling with the concept of preparing for Christmas without a constant tide of young people coming and going, filling the house with music and leaving a trail of mugs in every room...I'm wondering who I'll be once I've come out the far side of this less than comfortable transition...and I'm hoping that in my struggles to let go, I haven't left claw marks all over those whom I love!
I'm sure you haven't!!
ReplyDeleteThe second of our 2 started uni the year after number 1 finished so we had 6 years of being a 1 child house. Now number 1 has married and number 2 is going to marry next July at which point we really do become a home without children :( It is certainly going to feel weird.
ReplyDeleteHugs to the empty nester.
ReplyDeleteWas thinking of you as I walked through the jungle yesterday (well tropical forest) as it actually reminded me of our walk through your woods the first weekend of December last year. Seriously.