As a mother, translated…
When my good friend posted an article on “thoughts after reading about the stubbornness of unwilling to accept the empty nest”, I’d nagged her about how long she’d written, but, it seemed that she’d spoke out how I am feeling lately.
In the summers, I’d gathered with friends, they’d asked me how old my son is? I’d told them, that he’s about to head up north of college, back then, all of my friends exclaimed, “You are about to enter into empty nest, you’ll feel, extremely bored, and loss too!” back then, I’d just, laughed, “Ha! I’d feel more leisurely, no longer would I need to rush in the morning, to get him to school, and rush in the evenings, to pick him up.” Plus after my son had become a stay-at-home geek after the test grades were out, and, these couple of months I’d seen him, wandered around the house, it’d gotten, on my nerves, and I’d, nagged him, hoped that he could leave the house for school sooner, so he won’t get annoyed with me, and vice versa.
But, as the starting day of school approaches, as his mother, I’m not as excited as he’d become, one day, I’d even asked him, “When you get to Taipei, will you miss us?”, these words, hadn’t been spoken since he entered into middle school, kinda childish, kinda wishful thinking. Before his freshmen orientation, he’d originally wanted to head up to Taipei alone, just so happens, that on the day before, I had a meeting in Taipei, I’d wanted to meet him up there, and see him off to school. But, before I’d finished my sentenced, he’d, shot me down. Later on, he probably felt, that he was, a bit rash, in telling me no, that, was why he’d agreed, unwillingly, to allow me, to drop him off to school. On the way there, a mixture of emotions ran inside of me, sort of sour, kind of sweet, filled with even more loss; as my son arrived to his dorm, he’d ushered me to head back home, said that he was going to a meeting, with an older schoolmate.
That evening, to the months since school started until now made me finally realize just what the “empty nest” is about. Turns out, that the originally noisy, somewhat messy, laughing, hollering owner of this house is gone, I felt that there’s a hole inside of me. But when friend inquired me about it, I’d still told them, “Yeah, I’d gotten my peace and quiet now.” After all, it is, a good thing that the child is grown and becoming independent, he’s about to spread his wings, and explore the world, and I’d needed to have time on my own, to adjust, to find my “self” back as well.
So, “I’m suffering from NO loss during the empty nest, I feel more free!”, I’d told myself.
It takes time, to adjust to your children leaving home, after all, they are, growing up, and you can’t keep them close to you always, they are going to spread their little wings and fly, and so, empty nest is unavoided, but, you will find things to fill up the time, and, you will, eventually, get used to the fact, that your young is all grown up………
nope, not my photograph
Life, the Obstacle Course 