As I watched my youngest, Max, packing up boxes to head back to college for his senior year, I felt a mix of pride and a hint of the empty nest syndrome creeping in. It’s a bittersweet moment, but I’ve come to appreciate the joys of an empty nest. While I cherish the memories of raising school-aged kids, there are plenty of reasons I’m relieved to have grown children. Here’s a humorous look at it all:
- Filling out the same tedious forms year after year. Back in 2010, we were still doing it by hand – and in duplicates!
- Writing checks for everything: lunch tickets, books, fees, you name it!
- And then writing more checks for booster clubs, uniforms, and cookie dough (why do we always buy cookie dough?).
- Making lunches only to find them returned home, untouched. “I just wanted chips, Mom!”
- Carpools, carpools, and more carpools. Did I mention carpools?
- Waking Max up for school every single morning for 13 years. Now he’s a pro at getting himself up for college. We are so proud!
- Shopping for school supplies that never got used, like those pink erasers. Seriously, where did all that lottery money go?
- Engaging in small talk in the parking lot with that one mom whose kid seems to excel at everything.
- Buying two dozen mechanical pencils, only for Max to lose them all within a week. Every year!
- Purchasing trendy clothes for my daughter, only to see her default to her worn-out sweatshirt and jeans by mid-September.
- PTA meetings: painful to attend, but the guilt of skipping was even worse. Now, I look back and wonder why I tortured myself.
- Back-to-school nights. Did any parent truly enjoy these, aside from the new teachers?
- Parent-teacher conferences, where you could feel the judgment for having an imperfect child. Thank goodness that feeling faded after 2nd grade!
- Annual check-ups and shots, complete with more forms to fill out.
- Driving by the school to check if my kid was socializing or alone. (Fortunately, it was always the former.)
- Dealing with the dreaded head lice.
- Smelly sports uniforms that somehow had to be washed every single day. Ah, the joy of football gear.
- Navigating the emotional rollercoaster of middle school drama.
- The endless cycle of colds, coughs, and flus.
- Homework. Enough said.
- The stress of auditions, try-outs, and endless competitions.
- Waiting for those prom invites. Asking someone to prom was terrifying (for my kids, of course).
- First-day jitters and the infamous senioritis, which really should be classified as a medical condition!
- The chaos of college applications: essays, fees, extracurriculars—you name it.
- The nail-biting anxiety over college admissions, a parental ailment that definitely deserves a mention in the DSM-III.
While the journey of parenthood can be challenging, there’s a certain freedom that comes with having grown-up kids. If you’re navigating the world of parenting, you might find the articles on home insemination helpful, especially this one about privacy policies, or check out Cryobaby for expert advice. For those on a similar path, IVF Babble is an excellent resource for pregnancy and home insemination information.
In summary, while I miss some aspects of parenting young children, the freedom and joy of having grown kids are truly rewarding. Plus, there’s no more carpooling or homework battles!