Friday, February 17, 2012

Thanks for the reassurance!

Talking to moms, who are already experiencing the empty nest, should be reassuring to me, but not this week.  While talking to a nurse in the doctor's office, we discussed our kids.  Her kids are 22 and 20.  Mine is 18.  She just started talking about how hard it is to have her kids gone.  Really?!?!  I need you to tell me that it gets easier, not that after a couple of years, it is still hard.  Don't tell me you have never gotten used to them being gone.  Tell me you have warmed up to the quietness and lack of activity in your house and life.  Don't tell me that you still hate not seeing them every night and that you miss them all the time.  You should be reassuring me that you get used to them being gone at college. 

On second thought, maybe that was the reassurance I needed.  Maybe, I needed to know that it is OK to miss her, but that I can still go on. Maybe it is reassuring to know that the "new normal" is a little bit of lonely, with a big dose of acceptance.

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