The beginning of the end is near for me (referring to the end of my childhood). That opened the door to a new chapter called “the empty nest,” one I’ve been dreading for a long time.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who have three kids around the same age range as mine, recently opened up about how they handle the empty nest chapter of their lives, and I’ll take notes from them.
Kelly Ripa And Mark Consuelos Talk About Their Feelings When The Nest Is Empty
Kelly Ripa – Instagram
I think ALL parents feel the transition from their children’s childhood to adulthood in some way. Emotions usually take over when such a big change is ahead, and I fully understand now that I’m getting closer to that new chapter.
My kids are 20, 18 and 17, so the knock on the door for this new chapter is getting louder and louder. My 20 year old is getting ready to fly and leave the nest in July. She moved to Florida, and while I’m happy for her and proud of the adult she’s grown into, I’m sad for me and her siblings who now have to recreate the home dynamic.
For Ripa and Consuelos, whose children are all now out of their home, there is a “what now” moment. “It is deep. It was like a loss,” Consuelos told PEOPLE.
“When Joaquin left [for the University of Michigan]it was hard, both of us and the dog were staring at each other, like, ‘Well, now what?’” added Ripa.
Kelly Ripa – Instagram
With all three of their children out of the house, Michael, 25, Lola, 21, and Joaquin, 20, adjustments had to be made.
“The first dinner I cooked, I’m not kidding, was for 12 people, and it was just the two of us. We sat there with this much food, none of us were hungry at all,” said Ripa. “We’re empty nesters, oh no, what are we going to talk about?”
Ripa said the first 48 hours “leaned toward despair” but they quickly leaned “on the positive side.” In short, “We got through it,” Ripa said.
Everyone Says A New Chapter Comes With a New Sense of Freedom
Kelly Ripa – Instagram
Whenever I talk to anyone who has gone through the big change of kids leaving home to start their adult lives, they tell me it’s wonderful and there’s a new freedom waiting for me. No matter how many times I hear it, I still don’t buy that beautiful part, but that feeling will take some getting used to.
The “Live with Kelly and Mark” co-hosts are making the most of their child-free days by going on vacation with a different mindset than before.
“We went to the beach and we saw the sunset and we were like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,'” Consuelos said. Ripa added, “We eat when we want to eat, not when the kids want. We went hiking, we climbed rocks – it was scary, but we did it.”
Kelly Ripa – Instagram
One thing Ripa talked about really resonated with me. She said that two weeks before her youngest moved out, the two older children came home and the three of them slept in the same room.
“They told me to recreate something from when they were little, like I used to put them on the bed, give them a kiss and say, ‘Ok, that’s it, now good night,'” she said. “And then I’d come back into the room and they’d be screaming and laughing.”
Consuelos added, “They would go into our room and get old DVDs of home movies and we would watch as a family.”
As an Almost Empty Nest Mom, I Note…
This past weekend, my middle son, Ryder, pulled out a drawer of old photo albums and started down memory lane taking the rest of us with him. I think there are many more days like that headed my way as my son, JD, prepares to move to Florida.
Melanie VanDerveer – contributed photo
I’ll take a note from Ripa and Consuelos and suggest that we recreate some of the fun things we did when they were younger and see how long we can make those memories last before it’s time to adjust to a new chapter. And with any luck, I too will one day be able to say “I got over it” too.
Are you an empty nester with tips to share? Or are you in the same boat as me where you are getting ready for some big life changes with your kids? If so, DM me on Instagram and tell me what gets you through a tough day.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
