Empty Nest What is end-of-life planning? Posted on November 16 If you are terminally ill or are coming to the end of your life, talking about your wishes for your final months should be part of the process. Nobody really wants to face the idea of planning for death. However, when you have written down your personal preferences and wishes,… Read more
Empty Nest How to create a living will Posted on November 14November 15 When you create a living will, you take responsibility for the manner in which you choose to die. It comes into effect when you are no longer able to voice your own wishes or make your own decisions. Everyone has a legal right to sign a living will (as long… Read more
Empty Nest Don’t judge empty nesters who feel sad! Posted on August 10 The word ‘whine’ immediately evokes images of a child complaining in an annoying way. Nobody wants to listen to people who whine and complain about their circumstances, no matter how dire. However, I recently came across a blog with the title ‘Stop whining about your empty nest’ in the Huffington… Read more
Empty Nest Empty nest families in India Posted on August 5 Does empty nesting only apply in Western cultures? This question is asked because in many other cultures it is common for adult children to continue living with parents and grandparents. Some research being done in India is very interesting because it shows that parents are going through similar empty nest… Read more
Empty Nest Do dads experience empty nest syndrome? Posted on July 25 In his book, Love Life, Rob Lowe expresses what he felt when his sons left the nest. He says “I’m trying to remember when I felt like this before. Like an elephant is sitting on my chest, like my throat is so tight and constricted that I can feel its tendons,… Read more
Empty Nest Thriving in an empty nest Posted on June 3January 15 Bringing up children is often an all-consuming, unselfish phase of life. This is why when our children leave home it can be so hard to readjust and settle into the next phase. Some children stay close, taking more and more frequent trips out of the nest, making it somewhat easier… Read more
Empty Nest Love: letting go, fear and freedom Posted on May 11March 22 Many of us know the Khalil Gibran quote “If you love somebody, let them go ….”. We don’t usually think of applying it to letting go of our children as they begin to mature. It is perfectly natural for us to experience some fears and worries when the time comes… Read more
A present of time on Mother’s Day Posted on May 7May 6 When your children are small, they usually come home from school with a handmade card or special poem for Mother’s Day. I still have the card my daughter brought home in her first year at school with her tiny hand prints all over it. “Sometimes you get discouraged Because I… Read more
My Fixer Upper TV show addiction Posted on April 29May 1 I have watched many a fixer upper TV show over the years but HGTV’s show, Fixer Upper, hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines is one of my favorites. This down-to-earth couple lives in Waco, Texas with their four children, Drake, Ella Rose, Duke and Emmie Kay. Drake, the oldest, is… Read more
My precious daughter is home for a season Posted on January 19March 18 My empty nest has been full for the holidays. As I sit down to write this, my daughter will soon be returning to university to do her honours in Psychology. She completed her degree at the end of last year, moved out of her flat and came home for a… Read more
A broken heart – a mother’s pain on parting Posted on December 9March 18 I found the poem below in a book by Shelley Bovey The Empty Nest: When Children Leave Home. It is a beautiful poem that describes a broken heart – a mother’s pain on parting. It reminded me of an article I read in the Daily Mail written by Maddy Paxman, author of The Great… Read more
Empty Nest What is ’empty nest’ syndrome? Posted on September 23January 3 Much has changed in the years since the term was first coined in the 1970s and some studies have suggested that the transition is much easier now with some parents getting a new lease on life when their children leave home. Today many mothers have careers and roles outside of… Read more