My PERFECT Empty Nest

A few years ago, I had an empty nest for about eight months. Then two of my children came home. One graduated from college and it took her awhile to find a job. The other went to college locally until he realized what he wanted to major in. We just dropped him off at his new college a week ago.

One of my other daughters was very morning sick with her second baby. So, she and her one year old son (my grandson) spent two and a half months here recently while I took care of them both.

The house was busy, full of laughter and life.

Now I can hear a pin drop. 

My pregnant daughter is feeling better and has returned home, making her lonely hubby very happy. I miss my little grandson very much. My other daughter is firmly ensconced in her job and my son is settling into college. 

So here I am, back to an empty nest. 

The kid's rooms are perfectly clean and there's no one here to mess them up.

I remember reading a paragraph written by Erma Bombeck. In it she talked about mothers and the way we always tell our children, "Clean up your room, get rid of all that clutter, put all that STUFF away!" Sometimes it feels like it's all we say! We give in and we clean the room for them and we declare, "NOW, I want it to stay that way!"

But then she said, the day will come when you clean their rooms and  you say, "NOW, I want it to stay that way!" 

And it will.

And it will be sad.

I'm there. 

The bedrooms are clean. The beds are made. And they are staying that way. My PERFECT empty nest. 

The first time we had an empty nest, it felt like my hubby and I were on one long, amazing date! And I know it will be like that again and I look forward to it, I really do.

But, right now, the house is too quiet, too clean, and too lonely.

Okay, enough feeling sorry for myself. Those darn kids keep on calling me and I can't get anything done! 

Time to get back to my writing.