ADVICE FOR EMPTY NESTERS ..Your job isn't over!

One by one, as my two grown children left home, I started to panic!

They didn't "need" me anymore, and were proof positive that they could, and would, live without my daily input into their lives.

I t wasn't long until the phone calls came, and they were asking old Mom how to do this, or that, and for a recipe, or for news about relatives.

By now, I was thinking hey, this isn't so bad......then came what I call the big"lull", no more calls, no input needed, and when I called them, they were either gone, or it seemed to me, rushed to get back to whatever menial task they were performing at the time.

Now it was sinking in, they really didn't need me, they were just homesick, or lonely, and as they had settled in to their new lives, it was once more apparent to me that they really didn't need me or my opinions.

And the biggest shock of all was when I discovered that each one of them did things different than I had taught them too!

They were little things, like putting trash bags in the can, without a spare one placed underneath, not using the last paper towel that is always glued to the roll, etc, etc.

As in my opinion they needed me less and less, I decided to take the new found time I had on my hands to do some things I had always wanted to do.

I started a small at home business, took some college courses, bought a computer , and learned how to use it, started a small online business, and soon I was a very busy woman again.

Now the kids were calling me, or stopping by, and I was the one who was busy, or wrapped up in my new life!

As I found myself explaining to the kids about the courses I had taken, or how to do this or that on the computer, or the aspects of my two businesses, I realized they were genuinely interested in my endeavors.

Then listened, and asked intelligent questions.

They both became computer literate, because of me, and we found ourselves once again, mother and child,i.e. teacher and child!

But something was just a little different, this time. I realized things had changed, ever so slightly. My children were also teaching me.They taught me little tricks and tips about cooking, and housekeeping. These things they learned by trying out their wings. The lights came on for me! I realize my job as a mother will never be done, but it will be different.

I will teach them, yes, but they will teach me, too, and we both will gain respect and admiration, one for another.

If you are a new "empty-nester", find and learn something new, give your children their space, and be prepared to learn from them, just as they have learned from you.

Keep busy,but leave a little time for your new relationship to blossom with your grown children, as believe me, your job is not over!!