DS19 and DD16 are born on the same day, but obviously 3yrs apart.
This past birthday was the first time in 16 years that she got to celebrate her own birthday without having to share it with her brother. I’ll admit it seemed odd and think she felt this, too. I’m sure DS felt left out of our home celebration.
Going out to dinner is much cheaper now. Noise level in our home is the same. Our kids kept to themselves so one missing didn’t seem different.
DS was the TV remote hog. Glad to have the remote in my hands again.
Thanks for all your responses. Some were along the lines of what I expect and others were not.
The grocery bill will be smaller. Eating out will be less expensive and be much more varied. DS is our biggest, and pickiest, eater.
DS is not a big talker so whenever he was in the mood to talk DD would get somewhat ignored at dinner. She will enjoy having that stage to herself, I think.
I also anticipate the opportunity to vacation at other times of the year since DD’s ECs are on a different calendar. We may actually join DH on a business trip occasionally now that we fit more easily in one hotel room again. We will also have to work in parents weekend and round trips getting DS to/from school which my stretch the time and money budget. I can see us revisiting some past vacation destinations since DD was too little to remember some of them well.
DD is already a Daddy’s girl so that will not change but not having DS around to drive her to things will create more car time for the two of us.
The best part will be one less person to allocate getting ready time to in the mornings!!!
It was really nice having two years with only D2 at home. I love both daughters dearly but they are very different. I mean this in a kind way, but D1 has the kind of personality that sucks all the oxygen out of the room. So D2 enjoyed having more emotional space when her big sister went to college.
Our family is like an accordion–getting bigger during summers/holidays, smaller during the school year. With everyone going in and out, there is never a peaceful routine. I have 7 kids and each time one leaves, everyone seems to reshuffle relationships (and bedrooms). I only have 3 kids left at home now, and girls only, so the grocery bill is way down. Some of the kids are naturally closer to a particular sibling, and I’ve seen some sad and lonely and finally forging new alliances with younger sibs when the older ones left. I’ve also seen some happy dances and bedroom grabs as soon as a couple of them got out the door. They come home as strangers, in a way. My oldest was in the high school class of 06, and my youngest will graduate in '23. The youngest barely knows her oldest brother–she was not yet two when he left for college. She was scared of him when he came home for breaks because she didn’t really know/remember him. The oldest 4 are far away and we don’t see them often. Still, it adds some stress/chaos to my life keeping up with what they are doing. Sometimes I feel guilty if I don’t think about them every day, but now the younger kids take up all my time.
I had 3 kids in a little under 5 years and worked full-time. So I constantly felt like I was juggling everything. All three were very active and in it’s peak we may have had as many as 10 athletic events each week. When D1 left, if I am being honest, it was a relief, because instead of juggling 3 teenage schedules I only had to juggle 2. My S3 has always kind of flown below the radar. He was very afraid to be the center of attention when S2 left, two years after D1. But it was actually wonderful to have him alone, because we got to know him a lot better.
The best thing was that there were very few things (except tacos) that all three liked to eat, so it was a lot easier to make just one kid happy. For S3’s senior year, D1 came home to live with us while she got her teaching credential/masters. That was a whole other adjustment.
DS1 was such a pain in the @ss from 15 until college that peace reigned when he left. Oh, we mourned as all parents do, but still…peace reigned. DS2 was so busy with his friend and tennis season that he didn’t suffer as much as I thought he would. The two get along greatly. But DS1 did cause a lot of turmoil and there was tension in the house. I’m sure without him there DS2 enjoyed the peace…he is my easy one…still is.
None of us ever got used to that empty chair, though…ever. I don’t think we ever had too much focus on DS2. He was the one who never dis liked being around us. I do think he really missed his brother in the evenings though…they had each other. They texted all the time…it really is nice for that.
My oldest has grown up so much in 3 years I hate it now when breaks are over. He really has come back! Haha!