On Being an Empty Nester

in #hive-1346712 years ago

My husband and I consider ourselves very fortunate. Not only do we love each other very much, but we actually like each other - and there is a difference!

We enjoy each other's company and are best friends.

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This is what makes being an empty nester fun! When we first moved away from three of our children (a 4-5 hour drive depending on traffic), one of our children lived in the city we moved to. She was over almost every day. She has since moved a 2 hour dive away).

So, now we are truly empty nesters, and we enjoy it. I know many parents have a problem with their children moving away (even if it is in the same city), but not us. You expect to be alone at some point!

When our children were living with us (our youngest is 21), we still told them when we were going out, so they would know where we were. They did the same. After all, you live in the same house, you need to be considerate of each other so no one worries.

We still typically ate at least one meal together, too, as well as did a number of things together. But, we had our own lives and they had theirs. So, when we finally left, it wasn't so bad since we didn't focus on the children as much as we did on each other.

I'm so glad that in our marriage we looked forward to the day our children were no longer living with us with joy, not dread. We are now having the time of our lives!