<p>I can’t wait unitl they go back. Older D has almost 6 weeks off and while she works occasionally, she is mostly in the house. It drives me nuts! Younger D has only 3 weeks, and she goes out more. Yes, I am ready for them to go back to school.</p>
<p>And yes, when they are gone, I miss them so much.</p>
<p>My S comes and goes so much. It’s like we have a revolving door. He can’t seem to stand being around the house with us, too boring I guess. All his h.s. friends are home so he is out with them constantly. Today he is off on an overnight excursion with the guys to his college to attend a basketball game. His school break is pretty short (3 weeks) compared to some schools.</p>
<p>I love having my DS home. His school is on a trimester system, so he gets shorter, more frequent breaks. He’s enjoying sleeping late, seeing friends, eating home-cooked meals, celebrating holidays with family, and simply “resting” his brain for a while. I’m sure he’s looking forward to returning to school, but at this point, both he and our family are enjoying this 4-year time of transition. It’ll be over before we know it and he’ll be completely out on his own for the rest of his life, so we savor the present.</p>
<p>I’ve loved having my daughter home (since Thanksgiving!), but it’s time for her to go “back home.” She’s worked, volunteered at her old HS office, helped prepped kids at her HS for Model UN, visited friends, spent time with her boyfriend, slept (A LOT), and read countless number of books. But since my daughter is still not allowed to drive (medical reasons), most of those activities have meant the resurrection of my role as Mom-as-chauffeur…a role I had happily relinquished in September.</p>
<p>My daughter is hoping to audition into the touring choir at the end of this year, which would mean 1-2 weeks less time at home next winter break. We’re both in agreement that while we enjoy spending time together, 6 weeks is overdoing it a bit. Of course, if she’s allowed to drive by next year, my opinion may change!</p>
<p>Our S is home for a month, but he has worked virtually every night (leaves at 4:00 and gets off about 11:00) and then goes out with friends after work. He gets home around 2:00, stays up another hour, then sleeps until noon or 1:00. We go days without seeing him at all. I took vacation this week, so I did see him for a couple of hours in the afternoons, which was really nice. </p>
<p>So, no we aren’t sick of him. He loves his job and has all his high school buddies around. I think he would be bored if he weren’t working. Ruth’s Chris (steak house) is a great job because he just lets them know and they put him on the schedule whenever he is in town, even over a short time like Thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>I’m home for about 4 and a half weeks, and it’s not that I’m sick of my parents (it’s been about 11 days), it’s that I miss college life and the constant activity. At home, we actually have to plan things if we want to see each other. And what’s really annoying is that my brother’s high school is switching locations over break, so their break is fairly long too (Dec15-Jan8), and we have to split the car now that he has his license.</p>
<p>Other than that, I like home and all the perks that go along with it–it’s pretty much like I never left, but I miss my dorm. I’m really going to miss it the last couple of weeks because all my high school friends go back earlier than I do.</p>
<p>S’s winter break is five weeks long and I am loving every minute of it…he came home exhausted…he spent this past semester “pushing to find his breaking point”–he estimates an average of about 4 hours sleep/night for the whole semester…he didn’t quite “break,” but came close–he earned straight As (pause for a proud mom brag here) and had some amazing accomplishments in his chosen field…now, he’s doing a lot of catch-up sleeping, and he’s almost completely nocturnal…goes to sleep between 4 and 5 a.m. and awakens around 3 p.m. I’m the exact opposite…I get up at 4 a.m. and generally crash between 9 and 10 p.m. So we get our best time together just before he goes to bed, just after I’ve gotten up!</p>
<p>He’s been in a sweet, love-my-family, “recuperative” mood since he got here 3 weeks ago…next week we take a family vacation for a week…then we have 5 days when 6 of his college friends come here for their pre-spring semester “adventure”…I’ve loved every single second of it, including the pile of dirty dishes each morning, the extra laundry, the mind-boggling increase in grocery bills! (no doubt we’ll have a spat sooner or later, but haven’t yet)…</p>
<p>I know he’ll be ready to go back when the time comes…if it weren’t for the family vacation next week (to a place he & I both love, w/people he enjoys as much as I do), he’d probably be ready to go back well before he has to go back…if it weren’t for his friends (including the GF) coming here the week before they go back, he’d probably be chafing to return…</p>
<p>But I love having him home. There’s NO downside to it. I miss him even at my busiest and happiest as an empty nester when he’s gone.</p>
<p>So, I “get” you wanting to get back to your uncontrolled-by-parent(s) life (I do try not to exert parental control, and S tries to be very considerate… between the two, it works 95% of the time). I expect S to want to get back to “his world” a whole lot sooner than I’ll want him to go (I don’t think I’ll ever want him to go!)…</p>
<p>I also think S wants me to miss him and not want him to go. He still views home as comfort/security/the base from which he is free to explore…I don’t think he’d like it at all if he thought Mom had “cut him loose!” So we’re pretty happy w/the status quo…</p>
<p>I cannot imagine ever having enough time with mine, or ever tiring of her, and I think she feels close to the same way. </p>
<p>I think it helps if both people are very, very busy. At a Christmas party I overheard her tell someone else “it’s very diffficult to get time on my mother’s calendar - I usually try to make dinner appointments with her several days out so I can be sure to get a spot”. Of course, that isn’t entirely true, I put her above everyone else, with the exception of issues that she should be able to resolve by herself - for those types of things she has to wait in queue like everyone else, but, if she wants to have dinner etc. I cancel everyone else to make room. I am not sure she would enjoy me as much if I were very predictable and available 24/7. But I am certain I would enjoy her just as much no matter what. </p>
<p>We decided that next Christmas, we’re going to find a quiet beach somewhere - probably in the Caribbean or somewhere we have to fly to, no internet, no cell phones, etc., and we’re going to pack suitcases full of books, and we’re going to read, eat, sleep, and play on the beach, and totally ignore the rest of the world.</p>
<p>Nope. Could not wait for them all to get their silly faces home!! House has been full, between the five of them and the friends they brought with them, and all their local friends we have a revolving door and I make daily trips to the grocery store.</p>
<p>They miss each other so they spend as much time together as possible. They run together, work-out, hang-out with their respective friends, its like one HUGE slumber party for 3 and a half weeks. We had so much food for the holidays and tons of left-overs. Laundry is running 24/7. Phone rings and rings and RINGS. Dogs bark like crazy and the cats get freaked out with all the people. Don’t even bother to lock the front door. Everyone including the UPS guy just walks in. (Glad we live in a small rural town!)</p>
<p>I dread the days when they all leave. Can hear a pin drop.</p>
<p>My nefarious plan is to talk all of them into attending grad school in-state, local! </p>
<p>Kat
home with ALL her kittens, SO HAPPY</p>
<p>NEVER!!! She has just about 2 weeks between end of finals and returning for winter session. She’s happy to be home and we’re happy to have her! I’m on winter break at work so I’ll be driving her back and spending a few days with her. She got home from First Night and decided not to go to a friend’s to ring in the new year. She and dad are doing their annual 3 Stooges Marathon and I’m off to bed!</p>