^^Wonderful news! Good for you taking some time off to hang out with her. Whether you get three weeks or three months - it goes so fast!
D will head back for sophomore year next week. I love having her home. She just ordered some photos off her phone for decorating purposes in her dorm room this year - many of which were photos of stuff she did with her college friends last year. After looking at those I know that going back to school is what she needs to do - it’s a great life and she deserves to experience it!
Best of luck to all first time 2016 empty nesters!
Its such a nice feeling to know they are excited to go back isn’t it @abasket? Last year we were filled with excitement but it was tempered with some anxiety of the unknown and then the start was a bit uncertain for us at least. Good luck to your D in her sophomore year and good luck to all those sending their freshmans off !!
My dd will be a junior this September. She has been home all summer but has been very busy with a research internship and working at the hospital on weekends. I get uplifted from March to August with the warmer weather and longer days but now knowing fall semester is a few weeks away and that the days are getting shorter makes my heart restless.
Dd is my only child and as a single parent my heart gets heavy. I am happy that she is working hard towards her goals and seems on track but I can’t seem to get rid of this feeling in my heart as she is becoming this young woman. I can see the transformation from a young high school girl to a sensible young lady. I don’t know how the years flew by but the feeling is bittersweet.
raclut, I totally relate. My daughter is also a rising junior and I’m a single mom and she’s my one and only. Mine came home for a grand total of 4 days this summer. I just spent 4 days with her in her college town and it was wonderful. It’s really true, that old saw about a bird staying in the palm of your hand if you keep your hand straight and flying away when you cup your hand. Well, at least my bird and my hand. I’ve learned to let her make her own mistakes as it’s the only way she learns. I couldn’t be prouder of her but it’s a very different stage of life from the first 18.5 years we were together. (I adopted her at 23 months.)
I never heard that bird/hand saying before and I love it! Mine goes back early next week, but we just moved most of his stuff into his new apartment with friends today. He was very excited and it’s all so different than last year. He was so full of anxiety he could barely speak move in day, or eat and we had to buy him tums…haha. 12 months has made such a difference, he loves it
My heart is happy and heavy at the same time. I’ve so enjoyed seeing him and my older one everyday, sometimes literally in passing some days, but it’s just “seeing” them. Now it will be desperately quiet again and I have to get used to that all over. But all is good nonetheless and I keep telling myself it is as it should be.
Happy and heavy heart is a great description. I dread the 19th when we drp her off, but excited to hear about everything that will come with the next school year.
So it’s official . . . besides our doggie we are empty-nesters. H and I were talking last night about how weird it is to not worry about what everyone is eating and when.
We have barely heard from DS, which is a good sign - he’s one of those kids where no news is good news. I think he is having fun. Too bad classes start on Monday.
D who is a sophomore moved in Thursday with classes starting tomorrow. She moved in early partially due to two meetings, the first Thursday afternoon. Her school actually considers today - the day before classes start - as move in day for upperclassman. No offense, but that’s a bit of a push! - move in and start classes the next morning!
I had about 48 hours from when she left to having my brother and his family with two boys for an overnight stay. This morning H and dog have even left me for 2 days! I’m truly flying solo!!! or !!!
My nest is officially empty of kids. This is the third night I’ve come home from work, wondering what to do with myself. It’s interesting to not have anything urgent to do or anyone to dote on. I’m finding projects for myself, but boy is this weird. 24 years really did fly by.
Just reading this thread and feeling for all of you! My son is a rising junior in high school. I already am dreading his departure, even while I look forward with pride to his taking this exciting next step in his life. I think that the reason I am hanging out on the College Confidential forums so much is that I am trying to gear myself up for his going away to college.
I never worried about food / cooking, we greatly simplified / streamlined this process as we both work(ed) and the kids was extremely busy, so we really did not have time to eat dinners, it was done in a car or at the end of work, as we used to comet home only around 10pm after all the activities. Microwave ovens at work are very handy. Bars and fruits after hard workouts at sport practice are also saviors.
The difference now is that we do eat in a evening in our kitchen, but the meals are still done the easiest way possible and for the parties, we always order at the restaurant that everybody likes.
If somebody does not like cooking, there are plenty of healthy options, empty nest or full nest.
or 
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