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For any parent, the time spent raising your children is full of milestones. Speaking their first words, walking for the first time, starting school, falling in love, and learning to drive, to name just a few. All of these milestones are proud moments in a parent’s life and will fill your heart with love and joy.

 

But one milestone that is particularly bittersweet is when they finally leave home. Of course, you’ll be happy that they’ve grown up and are beginning to make their own way in the world. But the prospect of living without your children after so many years together can be heartbreaking, and difficult to cope with.

 

Many married couples find that their relationships thrive after their children leave home, and they enjoy their newfound freedom to do whatever they like. However, many others go the other way and find that their empty nest creates feelings of sadness and isolation.

 

To help you stay firmly out of the latter category and feel more positive about your children leaving home, here are some tips to help you cope.

Be positive

Although you may be feeling sad, your child is no doubt feeling excited and ready to start their new life. If they sense you are upset, this may dampen their positivity. No matter how you are feeling, try to stay upbeat when talking to your child about their plans. Share in their excitement, and you may soon find their positivity rubs off on you.

Communicate sparingly

You will undoubtedly be tempted to call your child every day, but you should take care not to be an overbearing parent. This is their first taste of independence, and speaking to their mother on a daily basis takes this away from them slightly. Make a plan to stay in touch regularly, but not too often. There’s nothing wrong with sending them texts throughout the day, but don’t be offended if your child is too busy with their new life to reply straight away every time.

Reconnect with your partner

Rather than seeing your empty nest as a bad thing, change your perspective and view it as an opportunity. You and your partner now have more time and freedom to get to know each other again, as a couple, rather than as parents. Make time for activities for the two of you. Take up a hobby, go out for romantic meals, and plan adventurous trips abroad.

Find new challenges

You’ve spent several years raising your child and battling with the constant issues it brings. You’ve dealt with endless tears, bad behavior at school, helping them with their homework, the time they smashed your Murano glass chandeliers, and consoling them the first time they went through a break-up. No doubt you’ve probably defined yourself as a parent since your child was born, but it’s time to see yourself as an independent person with your own life. Now that the challenges of parenthood are behind you, why not give yourself a new challenge to focus on? This will help you keep your mind occupied and stave off feelings of sadness. Take up a new hobby such as gardening or consider training for a marathon.