For August, I want to write about the evolution of change. Ultimately, for me, that change began in my home. I imagined an empty nest in the traditional sense for a long time. When my children were in high school, I started to think about what the house would be like once they went away to school or moved into their own homes.

I thought about what empty nest meant for me- what would I do and how I would feel. Will I be lonely? What do I want to do? Just so many questions ran through my mind. However, my empty nest is not empty. That said, I continue to learn how to transition from parenting a child to being a consultant to an adult. Then two years into my transition, my grandson came to live with me. I had to rediscover a parent/child routine.



During my pondering phase prior to an empty nest, I imagined something totally different. Traveling with friends, dinner or no dinner, returning home with the remote in the same spot I left it. Instead, my empty nest is not that- it is what best works for me family (for now). Still, I had to step back to remind myself to love and support them, but also forgive and accept the circumstances that redefined my empty nest.

The uneasiness associated with an impending change is relatable, whether it is a child going away to college, entering kindergarten, first grade, middle school, or high school. It seems August or early September, depending on where you live, can bring about tears before, during, or after the drop-off at the door to the classroom, dorm, or while leaving their newly leased apartment.

Although, some would argue that a child going to school for the day is not an empty nest, but there are emotional struggles associated with the change from being together all day to picking them up after school. Just like sadness may come from seeing them less because they want to be with their friends more. For me, the empty nest in any transitional form is understandable.

I have decided to walk into August and accept my MORE:

• M: Meaningful
• O: Openhearted (to)
• R: Reinvent (my)
• E: Empty Nest

Firstly, the August blog post will touch on my feeling of emptiness or uncertainty because the last two decades or less have been about the child(ren). The steps taken to overcome those feelings. Secondly, since one adult child is still at home, how I learned to co-exist without controlling the situation? Meaning their final decisions belonged to them. Lastly, my transition when my grandson came to live with me, learning to forgive and co-parent with my daughter, and Kaleb’s struggle to balance mom and grandma because he doesn’t want us to be “mad.”

Indeed, I am not the only one pondering how to approach a dynamic like this or similar. Certainly, we get by, but not without making mistakes along the way. Surely, co-parenting isn’t new, but it is different between mom and daughter- especially from my daughter’s perspective with having to co-parent with her mother. Challenges associated with adjusting to our “normal”- boundaries are important, and empathy is a requirement.

But we make it work. Seeking to bring forgiveness and acceptance of the circumstances since I envisioned a different path for Kaleb and her.

Leaning into MORE. Reinventing my empty nest.