We have been celebrating our freedom since baby daughter went to Norway and commited marriage - 8 years ago. Just got the news that her first litter of little Norwegians is due in February. Granny is really celebrating.

 

Just pray it's not a litter.

One at a time is all you can enjoy properly - especially if they are a long way off.

It gets very expensive when there are multiples.

 

We can only hope. I dont see them leaving anytime soon. They have it too good here and they know it.

 

Wow, I envy many of you. Our youngest is 34 and has 5 kids! Perhaps, it's because we stranded them all over the country, rather than them leaving home? Perhaps, it's because we don't get to see them very often? Sorry, but we have not gotten over it yet. We do appreciate the freedom we have though; we've been retired almost 11 years. Perhaps, if we were still working, we'd be preoccupied with work related responsibilities. At least they are all glad to see us.

 

The kids (23 & 33) may be gone, but the nest is not empty. Each of them have about 30 large boxes of 'possessions' stored in basement/ corners of 'their room'/ our mini-attic. Ben (23) was home from Christmas 05 until early July 06....that was a long time

They are still attached to this 'home' and we need to MOVE to really break the connection (and get them to throw out the crap). Our trip to Oregon in July (hmmm...never posted my pics ) was the first move in that direction.....we'll see

Kathy is a frustrated grandma, but will have to live vicariously for another.....oh, 5-10 years I agree w/ whomever said, "It's great when they come back; and great when they leave again".

 

Yeah, we are in the process of building a new home. We finally get to move. But I am not sure even that will work. When our oldest daughter went away to college we moved into a home with one less bedroom and she still came back and lived in the Gameroom for 2 years. The other kids liked that idea so much that as one left the next oldest graduated into the gameroom. We didn't get the gameroom back until this year and then we turned it into an office so that means we never got it back.

We've stayed in this same area for 21 years and 15 years in this house just to be in the "proper" school district and now we can move where we want to.

We are building on the edge of the country, but still very close to civilization so that we can have the peace and quiet but still be near, food, hospitals, entertainment, etc.

One problem is that the new house is twice the size of the old. Anyone else run into that?

When the kids come home they are bigger, they often bring spouses, and then there are their kids. All the other family is in the same boat as all their kids get bigger + friends.

What happened to the quiet cottage we'd dreamed of having?

EDIT: One nice thing is that I finally get the garage I deserve.

This is truly a case of we get a garage and a house just happens to come with it (be built next to it). I looked for property to fit the garage and then designed a house to go along with it. I'm building a 34' x 50' building complete with car lift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woooo Hoooo!

Now if the house payments will just leave me some $$$ to spend on the cars.
Retire? What's that?

 

We are empty nesters, well not really, we have have this yellow car that that seems to demand as much time as having four kids did. (Wow, have I slowed down that much.) I must admit that I struggled with the last of the brood leaving home more because I suddenly found myself vintage and wondered, "Where did all the years go?" I look forward to them coming home and I look forward to their going home. Three out of the four phone home every week, at least once. Number four is enamoured with a young lady at present and does't think of home at all. One day he will come to his senses again. He's almost at the right age to do so.

 

I miss my little girls... but I guess they had to grow up. My little one's still in college and as such has very little time for her dad.

My big one calls me all the time, now that she's graduated and has all that lovely real-world stuff to complain about. It's different talking to her now... she's more like a friend.

As for the empty nest... it's much too quiet, but at least I don't have to worry about overflowing laundry baskets and dishes in the sink.

 

I am not qualified to comment here. But I do have a couple of observations.

I have a co-worker that has had a "totally irrespondsible daughter" (age 25) move back in with him after a failed marriage with two children. From all accounts, she is the classic example of the model that not all people are cut out to be parents. She got a job, and was miffed that her employer was upset with her that she was either late for work or called in sick four times in the first two weeks of employment. After being added to my co-workers call plan she ran up a $700 mobile phone bill last month.

On Monday morning while packing my car to leave the hotel after the NorEaster, I over heard two sets of parents comparing notes about their experiences with their "seemlingly" adult children. It just reafirmed that I am happy at this point that Plant Pixie and I are apparently missing "the pro-creation gene".

 

question from a kid to you parents:

is it so bad for the kid to stay around. why does there have to be "time to leave?" in our asian culture, families usually stick together and white americans think of it as weird. just would like to hear your thoughts.