Curing Empty Nest Syndrome

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I have just finished indulging in a delicious midnight snack that I was able to prepare courtesy of my parent’s refrigerator. Sitting here enjoying their food got me thinking about my current situation. I have spent the past 6 months at home. My web development internship is nearly over and I have been living at home the entire time. I have not spent this much time in my parent’s house since I was in high school. The only real issue I have with living at home is my mother. We do not get along very well now and we never have. Too be honest though, the past 6 months has not been bad at all. Earlier in the year, I had every intention of moving out of my house for the summer. The idea of living here over the summer months bothered me quite a bit. After discussing my plans with my father, however, I changed my mind. He convinced me that I should not move out if my mother is my only reason. Mainly it was his explanation of how much she will miss me after my last summer at home. This means that I will be home for another 3 months. More importantly that amounts to 3 more months of my mother. Unfortunately, she works in a school so she hits full force in the summer when school is out. Now, I am completely unsure of what to expect.

All of my classmates will be graduating within the next few weeks. They will also be returning home for the summer to find real jobs in the city. None of us can afford to rent here so I guess our area will experience a massive decline in empty nest syndrome.

Thanks for making it all the way through. To the parents and student Dopers, how have you handled empty nest syndrome?

2

Are your parents animal people? Getting them a cat or a dog might help alleviate some of it.

3

Yeah, my parents got a cat to replace me when I moved out. They seem O.K., though my mom is rather obsessive in showing him attention.

4

My folks love animals. They just cannot agree on which ones they love. My mother thinks dogs are disgusting but she loves cats. My dad has enjoys nearly all animals but he enjoys dogs the most and he is not fond of cats.

My siblings and I have settled on fish, rodents and iguanas. My mother only liked the fish.

5

Um, hate to tell you this … the empty nest syndrome is not that big a deal. The house is certainly quieter and there are fewer people at the dinner table, but it’s nice to have the time and space for just us remaining occupants. Yeah, some adjustments were required at the beginning, but they were not that hard do do. And on the plus side, the empty nest has allowed us to do some needed remodelling around the house that would’ve been more difficult when more people were around.

6

Certainly neither you nor your mother expects that you will live there the rest of your natural life? And certainly regardless of where you live you will be in contact with her?

For me, it was wonderful to get to know my daughters as independent women in their own spaces.