Kids leaving the nest - how to cope?

My son has nit been home more than 2 weeks any one Summer since going to school.

Summer before College Started - marched DCI all summer
1st Summer- Did a 4 credit summer school course in Montana - was home for two weeks.
2nd Summer - worked for Auburn University and counted birds all over Alabama
3rd Summer - working for Emporia University counting Bird nest in middle Kansas all summer

They don't always come home at summer time unfortunately.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jnecker4cy
Same here. Oldest stayed at school this summer and will prob never live at home again. But she is kicking ass and stays in frequent contact with us.

Youngest just graduated too. But baseball season lets us stay a bit in denial. He will be playing in college so hopefully that still occupies plenty of time. Kids will be an hour from each other and only 2/3 hrs from us. P

What’s crazy is even when my kids were pretty young I’d have moments of real sadness seeing how “old” they were getting. I still remember a few years ago sitting there building stuff with legos with my son, and I could tell that was the last time we’d probably do that. Just little things like that hit me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ianoconnor
It’s hard. I’m past year two. Becoming more normal but miss my son being around daily. Miss him everyday.
 
I enjoyed them when they were home. I read to them when they were younger and went to nearly all their band concerts and sporting events. I still help them move. They have their lives to live. I do wish they'd visit more like "The Cat's in the Cradle" but that's not the same thing as getting all sentimental about the leaving home.

My dad was great and was very much 'there' and supportive, comforting etc but on the day he dropped me off for college it was a pretty quick good bye and 'call when you can' and he couldn't get home fast enough to sit in the quiet.

I know we still missed one another but never considered that non-emotional piece a bad thing.
 
Everyone is different, and you really do have to throw you life in with your kids to do it correctly. Going to all their events, being involved in their lives, for some that is a difficult bond to break when they go off to college or get married and move out on their own. For others, its an easier transition, and one that they having been looking forward too as it gets closer. I was in the 2nd group, my wife in the first, she moped around for months after our youngest left, me, I was in the pink, loved doing what I wanted and not what the ball schedule said I was doing. Still love my kids, but really enjoy them no longer living under my roof. We talk every few days, but I stopped worrying years ago to what they are doing and if they need my help. If they need something, they will call and ask, we help when we can, and both of us can live our own lives, intertwined but separate.
 

Latest posts

Help Support Us

Become a patron