Advice for Moms to Enjoy Their Empty Nest

When a person becomes a parent, it changes their entire perspective on what is important in life. Mothers and fathers are solely responsible for another human being. Babies can’t clothe or feed themselves. Without proper care techniques, this innocent new life will perish under harsh circumstances. 

As parents become more used to these expectations, it becomes an enormous part of their mental makeup. Parents have a hard time separating themselves from their children, and as kids grow up into adolescence and adulthood, moms and dads have a hard time coping with their loss of responsibility. 

This transitional phase in life is usually called empty nest syndrome. Based on the analogy of birds leaving their mother’s nest, human moms have a difficult time realizing that their lives have more purpose than just raising a family. Sometimes guardians have decades left to live after their kids leave, and it is important to figure out how you are going to fill up that valuable time.

We’ll talk about how parents, especially moms, of grown children can take advantage of this influx of freedom. If you are going to travel and explore the world, perhaps think about getting TravelSafe insurance so that you avoid any extra expenses in case of cancellations. 

If your children have started their own nest, you can reorient your identity into that of a grandmother. Find new ways to think about who you are and how you can get involved in your family and friends’ lives. There’s no reason to fret about empty nest syndrome, and we’ll reassure you of that. 

What made you special in your youth?

Sometimes it’s hard to remember what you were like before a monumental change in your lifestyle. Believe it or not, you were probably an active and interesting person before the birth of your children. You had interests and added value to other people’s lives and yourself before becoming a parent. 

What made you tick in your childhood, teens, and early adulthood? Even if you had kids at 20 years old, you had hobbies and passions before your son and daughter took over. Did you enjoy reading about politics and social change? Did you ever go to any rallies surrounding these issues, and you stopped once you had kids? 

On a lighter note, maybe you can do something as simple as watching a new TV show or playing a video game. These are not going to last forever, but they give you something in your intermediate time while adjusting to the changes happening. 

Entertainment has the power to distract and give you food for thought. Maybe a character on the screen will connect you with your own experiences much more deeply. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you weren’t born the same day as your child. Reconnect with what made you wake up daily in your past life.

Try to look at the things that you wished you had time for when you were busy raising your family. Often your house and its renovations get left out during this time in your life. You can now address this with your kids out of the home. Repaint the walls or upgrade your bedroom so that you and your spouse can better enjoy your updated environment. 

Having a new environment around you that speaks to your current state instead of your parenting one can do a lot. It will help you see what your tastes and enjoyments were in the past and will make you think about your potential happiness at home in the future. 

Seeing the way the house looked during your kids’ upbringing keeps you stuck in mom mode. Just make sure you look up how home improvement projects can impact your home’s value and insurance.

Become More Social and Explore the World

Part of disconnecting with your role as a mother is seeing that there is so much more of the world out there than just what is in your local town or community. Take your friends and family and go to a location you always wanted to visit but were too busy to follow through. 

Always planning on going to the Caribbean but never got to it? Take your significant other down to the islands and enjoy paradise. You will not only get to experience an atmosphere that is in complete contrast to your usual one, but you will feel you are doing something for yourself instead of others. Parents never get to think about “me.” 

Sometimes plans fall through when you aren’t used to going on trips. For this instance, you should look into getting some travel insurance that will cover the losses in case you have to cancel at the last second. 

TravelSafe Insurance gives a couple of different options that cankeep your vacation from being a potentiallyy devastating circumstance. Their basic coverage allows for you to get all your money back in case you have to cancel airline tickets and hotel fares for a vacation. 

If you never plan on leaving because you still have a career or other obligations, plan a staycation. Make some summer cocktails at the cookout in the summer. Go to a play with a longtime friend with whom you want to reconnect. There’s always more to do than you realize when you are a parent who is newly retired from all the madness.

You Can Still Be With Your Kids

Just because your kids have moved out of the house doesn’t mean you are worthless or eliminated from their lives forever. You are always going to be their parent, even when they are middle-aged themselves. Your children will always ask for your guidance and advice if you are close to them.. 

Your kids may even be having their own kids soon. If you are lucky enough to become a grandparent after your empty nest, you will have the opportunity to start all over again, but with fewer responsibilities. 

You will get to do all of the fun things with your grandkids, like trips to the park and making cookies with them. You’ll get to pawn all the not-so-fun stuff like discipline and discretion off on the parents. 

After you have accepted that your role as a parent hasn’t gone extinct but simply evolved, you will get over your empty nest syndrome quickly. Enjoy every phase of your life and try not to get too stuck in any specific section of it. 

Photo by  Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Consideration was received for the editing and publishing of this article.