The Empty Nest

The Empty Nest

When we bring our little bundles of joy into the world, we think that we will be different, that we will not repeat history.  We think that no one could ever have loved their child as much as we love ours.  We think that whatever wrongs we did as children growing into adulthood and whatever wrongs we perceive our parents did will not be repeated and that we will be the kind of parent who brings up the perfect child.  Then as our babies become toddlers, we see a glimmer of the character that will eventually become their own.  As they reach the pre-teen years, there is even more of their character to see.  What we sometimes forget is that as small children they are completely dependent upon us for their every need.  As they grow, our job is to let them spread their wings, to empower them to be all that they can be.  When they are doing great we are there for them.  When they are falling down, we pick them up.  If we do our jobs well, then these precious gifts will expand their horizons and will naturally want to step into their own.  Yes, they will give you grief, yes they will test you in every way, and yes you will always love them for who they are and who they are not.  There is a natural separation that begins to occur when children become teens and then become adults.  They must separate from the parents to make their own future.  This is the time when you can become the most proud of the journey you have travelled together.  When your child finally leaves the nest and is on their own, you can rest assured that this is their journey now, just as you took the same journey when you left home for the very first time.  It doesn’t mean that you never have the opportunity to be with your child again, it just means that there is a new chapter in their life, and yours.  Be proud of a job well done, and enjoy the empty nest, for soon their nest will be filled and you will reap the rewards of it by taking a new journey into  grandparenthood.  Enjoy an embrace the empty nest.  You may feel like they will never come back, like they don’t care, but as my son says “I have become the person I am in great part because of you”.  What a compliment.  So for all of you who are struggling with the teen who is giving you grief, breathe in and breathe out, one day they will become your friend.  Namaste