Empty Nest

Me and my daughter

Circa, 2009

The phrase empty nest has always felt odd to me when I’ve heard it used in relation to kids leaving home. And now here I am, my daughter about to go off to college, using it myself.

It’s an amazing thing how time goes by.

I feel like only yesterday I was getting rid of small clothes and letting her ride her bike on her own to the end of the block. And now – driving, and late nights, and college.

I really feel as if I need a year or two after high school before my daughter is allowed to go anywhere. I’m sure not all parents would agree, but I need a little buffering of time. I just need it to sink in, this moment, this completion of all of what is behind… before she starts off on the next phase of life.

But alas, no. Empty nesting it is for me, just around the corner. I should probably spend the next year watching the late 80s sitcom of the same name, just as a bad joke. My daughter would say, “Oh no, mom. Please don’t – 80s sitcoms were so bad.” And she would be right.

I am trying to mark the time, however. We’ve been a small family unit over the years, so the weight of the nest and its emptiness will be mine and mine alone to feel. And I will feel it. And it will be a new phase of life for us both.

Stay tuned!