<p>Let’s be honest now folks – there must be SOMETHING that you’re looking forward to when you get the kiddos off to college, even if you feel guilty about it. Is it sleeping in on weekends instead of driving to basketball practice? Not having to listen to someone play the violin for six hours every day? Getting first crack at the washing machine? Fess up!</p>
<p>Having gas in my car when I wanted to use it! That was the biggest plus when we became empty nesters!</p>
<p>First crack at the washing machine?? That was NEVER an issue!</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to taking a vacation with just my husband, during the school year. </p>
<p>Walking around the house nekkid.</p>
<p>Oh Momzie, I will be the first to answer and it will probably not be what you expect. I grieved this time last year before DD1 left for college only 2 hours away. She was terribly homesick and i picked her up to come home the first two weekends. She is a fine resilient girl who joined a very supportive sports team and became more independent and made excellent grades her first year, but she did come home every 3-4 week and the wear-and-tear on me driving I kept a secret. She is definitely a success at her NE LAC, but I will be hurt to bring her back and recognize that the passages between visits will naturally become less frequent, now that she is a sophomore, older, and more independent. I have a 10th grader beginning the process, a girl who is like my “double” and it will be so hard to go through this again, but in the end I am a stong determined person/mother who will make the tradition as painless as possible for daughter(s) and give them great support, but privately I will grieve much. </p>
<p>Getting loud. </p>
<p>I like having my calendar almost blank during the week. A few items (appointments, occasional get together with friends, etc.) But not the jam packed list of practices, tournaments, conferences, etc. that it was when kids were still at home. But I miss the little buggers just the same – D2 is coming home tomorrow for the first time since winter break, and I am thrilled. :)</p>
<p>Little buggers still clean out my wallet leaving me looking like an idiot when I end up at the 7-11 charging a 1.25 cent cup of coffee. I am also looking forward to not having my daughters take my makeup – and last week, someone used my hairbrush to remove a tick from the dog . . . Definitely won’t miss that!</p>
<p>Definitely taking vacation during school year and not having to answer what’s for dinner tonight.</p>
<p>Gee, e-kity4- you could do that while the kids were at school during the day. Switching from daily chauffeuring to infrequent long trips was so nice. Vacations with H alone were so nice- no sullen teenager not enjoying the experience. Cooking for two- no need to plan for the extra likes/dislikes or be sure all meals were nutritious, timely… House stayed much cleaner. No hunting down dirty dishes before running the dishwasher. No running out of milk for breakfast when there was plenty when you went to bed. No making sure kid got up when you heard his extra loud alarm from down the hall and he didn’t. Smaller electric and water bills. No planning around school events, days off… instead planning around college vacations (it is polite to be home for those and to collect them from school). No worrying about when they will be home at night- what you don’t know about their lives won’t hurt you (we survived our college lifestyle, we have to presume they will survive theirs).</p>
<p>The lower water bill :)</p>
<p>And having hot water for YOUR shower.</p>
<p>I am with Dharmawheel. Wife has noticed that I have been pretty melancholic recently. My older one is going back in a month and my younger is also leaving a month after that. Just down to us and my furry son - but he is getting rather old too. sigh…</p>
<p>And having the ingredients to make dinner left to do so. I can’t count the number of times my son ate the ingredients for an afternoon snack!</p>
<p>Not having to snake the shower drain every month to clean up the clog caused by my daughter’s long hair.</p>
<p>Not buying four cases of diet peach Snapple every week.</p>
<p>Cooking meals where the ingredients can be blended together instead of simple meat, starch,vegetable. Yeah mine are picky, lol.</p>
<p>Not wandering the house collecting recyclables</p>
<p>No more nagging about haircuts and shaving!!</p>
<p>I sleep so much better when they are gone.</p>
<p>Clean house.
Clean house.
Clean house. </p>
<p>Doing what I want in the evenings and on Saturdays. </p>
<p>I feel like I have to be at home in the evening for dinner and to be available for homework help. I am trained to get home right before the kids come in the door. Soon I will be able to go to classes and lectures and concerts. That 4:30 alarm can be shut off! Saturdays are still about kid sports for me, so I will get those days back. </p>
<p>@shrinkrap was thinking the same thing but didn’t quite know how to phrase it!</p>