Outtahere said:
Now he says the house is too quiet and without the girls around his wife has no one to chatter at but him.
I can only hope...
Am I the only ER here noting the parallel between ER comments & empty nesting comments?
ER: You're too young, you'll be bored & unfulfilled, you'll miss the camaraderie, it'll never work, whatever will you do all day!
Empty nesting: You're too young, you'll be bored & unfulfilled, you'll miss her, what if she can't find work, whatever will you do all day!
We love her to death, but we'd like to see if we can do that just as much while we're watching from a distance as she makes her way in the world. (I'm pretty sure that she shares the same opinion.) When I was on active duty I was thrilled to see my old shipmates e-mail or drop in for a visit to exult in their better jobs, greater responsibility, and higher ranks. We shared their enjoyment of their success and I think we'll feel the same way with our kid.
I don't know how many times we've headed out the door for our evening walk (while she's sullenly doing homework or calming down from the latest blowup or otherwise avoiding parental contact) and realized "Hey, we could be in Maui before 9 PM!"
But she's only 13. I'm sure it'll get better when she's drinking, dating, & driving. It has to, because I'm almost positive that she's not doing any of those things now...
As for the boredom part, I'm confident that my parents-in-law will find something for us to focus our attention on. After all they're only 15 minutes away and they know how much we'll appreciate their company.
I really need to spend more time surfing.