Hello internet!
I just wanted to start this off by saying I’m new here, (not to the mom business haha). I have been wanting to talk to some other mom friends for a while but have always had some trouble due to my age (had my oldest when I was 21). J and A are my pride and joys! We just dropped J off at UPENN today actually and I was wondering if any of you could give me some tips for a sad mama bird whose baby bird just left the nest. He is very independent but I worry about him as any mother would. Thank you all!
- Proud Mama of J and A
This thread about empty nests has been going for ten years. I think you might enjoy reading it.
Thank you so much Thumper1. I really appreciate it 
Welcome to the black hole of internet for college parents and beyond - aka CC Parent Cafe!
Welcome! How did you find us?
Be a little careful about using kids real names/colleges in tandem with each other. I mean I’m sure there are lots of kids named J and Penn State but…you never know.
Welcome. abasket is right. Most of us just post D (daughter) or DD (darling daughter) or S (son) and so on-- if two S’s S1 and S2.
Plan some activities for yourself that you wouldn’t normally do with your kids around. Expect to feel like there is a void in your house and heart for a while. It’s quite an adjustment. Was this your oldest that left or your youngest? Both gone? Many of us hang out in the Parent Cafe long after our kids have been through the college search/selection process and have graduated.
Thank you so much! I didn’t write my sons name on purpose for that exact reasoning but that’s great advice!
@ProudmamaofJandA Welcome! I had my oldest at 21 too and I feel like I’m younger than most parents here. Had my second at 24 and now at age 42 have been an empty nester for all of one week. (I have a DD’17 and a DD’19- most of the time here you’ll see people refer to their kids by their high school graduation year as it clearly shows where you are at in the college process. Other forums I am on use ages, so here I insert the apostrophe to help keep me straight. For a while I had a DD19/DD’17 and a DD17/DD’19.)
Tips? One thing I like, if your kids will let you, is being in on their social media. I started a Snapchat streak with my oldest shortly after she went to college and we’re now at 517 days! It’s great getting “proof of life” every day. They are also just more likely to send me pics and videos if they can do it over Snapchat rather than text. I also love seeing their Instagram posts.
Also join the Parents of the Class of 2019 thread- we’re all taking about move-in days right now and it’s a great place for updates, questions, support, and just to talk about your kids which we all love to do. Join the thread that applies to “A” too. The ‘Parents of Class of’ threads are in a separate subforum in the Parents Forum.
Today I am coping by extra house cleaning, and baking cookies for DD’19 who will turn 18 on Monday. I’m not going down to visit but her older sister is, so she will deliver them.