What are you going to do when your kids leave home? Can you picture yourself dancing a jig, doing cartwheels or shouting from the rooftops that you’ve finally got your freedom back? Perhaps you might find yourself crying for days, reminiscing all the things you’ve lost and wondering how you’re going to fill your days. The true picture is probably going to be a combination of all of these and more. Adjusting to being in an empty nest can be difficult for some parents. There is some good news, however. Here are some steps you can take to ease your transition into this new chapter of your life.

Make Plans

When your children fly from the coop, you’re suddenly left with gaps in your usually full day. Knowing what to do with all this extra time can be very confusing. When you’re raising kids you’ve got school meetings and activities to include in your day, family shopping trips, and a host of other child-related engagements to attend. Finding a way to fill the spaces, now such events are no longer a necessity, is important. Why not reach out to all your family and friends who’ve been neglected and make some plans? Go out to dinner, invite them over to yours, spend a day at the beach or go hiking in the mountains. Take the first step and reach out to others because they might not realize you’ve suddenly got more freedom.

Take a Trip

You’ve now reached a time in your life when you can leave home without having to worry about childcare or wonder what your kids are up to while you’re away. If going away, just the two of you, seems a strange thing to do start small with a weekend away. You don’t even have to go very far from home if you don’t want to. It won’t be long before you feel comfortable going away for much longer and you’ll have the chance to visit places you’ve always wanted to see. Traveling as a couple is much less hassle and stress than as a family.

Take Care of Yourself

You’ve spent the last 18 years or more looking after your children so now it’s time for you to start putting your own health and happiness first. There are lots of different ways you can take better care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet, get more exercise, and make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep. You’ve worked hard for many years and now it’s time to think about what you need, now that you’ve got the time and can give it your attention.

Have you thought whether you want to try a new career? There are plenty of opportunities for trying something different. Perhaps you should consider PT training courses Hull and becoming a personal trainer. Maybe you’d like to return to a career you enjoyed before children came along.

Remember What You’ve Accomplished

Reminiscing and feeling sad about the things you’re going to miss and how things are never going to be the same is only natural. Don’t feel bad about these feelings but don’t let them take over your life. Think of it as an indulgence and remember that it’s well-earned and well-deserved. All those carpool trips, homework help, parent-teacher meetings, tutoring, camps, fashion fads and passions you’ve had to deal with have helped your child become the person they are today.

Visits Can be an Enjoyable Distraction

Your offspring may have left home, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never see them again. It does mean, however, that you can look forward to spending time with them and you don’t have to worry about washing their dirty laundry or cooking their supper. Not if you don’t want to anyway. Family events may well be few and far between so enjoy making plans for them. Think about what you’re going to do when you visit them in their new homes and if they’re far away, is there enough room for you to stay? If not, you need to check out other accommodation in the area because you don’t want to impose and you definitely don’t want to be sleeping on the sofa.

Enjoy Being a Child Again

Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your newfound freedom? One suggestion is to think about the things you enjoyed doing as a child and whether you might still feel the same way about them now that you’re older? Your carefree days as a child can be used as inspiration for your next project. Did you enjoy coloring with crayons or painting with your hands? Try to link these passions with something more appropriate for an adult to do and maybe start painting classes.

Be Proud of What You’ve Done

What was your goal when you first became a parent? You might have wanted to send your child to college, become more self-sufficient, independent and be able to enter the grown-up world with confidence. Look back over your child’s life and where they are now and it’s more than likely your goals have been achieved. There are bound to be the odd hiccup but as long as they’re able to come out the other side relatively unscathed you can be proud of what you’ve done and all you’ve helped your child achieve. You’ve done your job to the best of your ability and while it might never be over, your level of responsibility has changed.

One last tip is to work on reviving the romance in your life. For the first time in a long time you’re able to focus on just yourself and your partner. Consider scheduling a regular date night and enjoying different activities together. Find some new outfits that your partner will appreciate. Plan some special surprises to help recreate that spark you felt when you first got together. Divorce is something that can occur when children move out of home but it can be avoided by nurturing your relationship and putting in more effort to ensure it succeeds.

Published: 2019-05-28 10:36:03