Empty Nest
Articles on Empty Nest
Writing about the transition when children leave home and what that means for identity, routine, and daily life. Honest accounts from people who have been there.
Empty Nest Syndrome: More Than Just Missing Your Kids
Empty nest syndrome is more than missing your kids. For many parents, it is an identity crisis. What happens when a role that organized your life for decades suddenly changes.
Empty Nest and Your Marriage: Rediscovering Each Other — or Not
When the children leave, many couples discover they've been living parallel lives organized around parenting. Some find each other again. Others discover they don't know who they're living with. Both experiences are real.
Finding Yourself After the Kids Leave
You've been a parent for twenty years. Now the role has changed shape, and the question underneath — who are you apart from it? — has room to surface for the first time in a long time. That question is uncomfortable. It's also worth answering.
Who Am I Now That My Kids Are Gone
The house is quiet. The role that organized your days for years is no longer needed in the same way. And the question underneath everything is the one nobody warned you about.
Empty Nest Drop-Off Week Survival Guide
The car ride home after you drop your kid at college is one of the stranger experiences of parenthood. Nobody warned you it would feel like this. Here is what to expect and what actually helps.
Sandwich Generation: Empty Nest and Aging Parents at the Same Time
Your kids just left. Your parents need more from you than ever. And you are somewhere in the middle, holding both losses and both pulls at the same time.