It’s finally all said and done: your child has moved out, leaving you with an empty nest. What are you supposed to do now? 

It’s probably going to be weird adjusting to not having kids at home anymore.

That’s okay, though—it’s going to be weird for your kids, too!

But, this is part of being a parent.

If you need help figuring out what to do next, keep reading for some ideas on how to start focusing on yourself again rather than what your kid is up to. 

Help Your Child Be Independent

The most important thing to understand is that your child is learning how to be independent, which means that they’re going to be trying things on their own and they may not always ask for help.

That’s totally normal, and it’s important that your child has that freedom while they’re in college.

You don’t need to worry about what they’re doing all the time, nor do you need to check in all the time to make sure they’re doing all right.

If they need something, they can check in with you when they need to. 

Rediscover Your Hobbies

While you’re at home and they’re away, this may be a good time to start getting back into old hobbies or interests that you neglected while your child was at home.

It can be difficult to make time for these interests while taking care of a family, or while working on top of it.

But, with your child gone, you’ll have a lot more free time to start getting back to those old hobbies.

They can be a distraction, yes, but they can also help your mind to start thinking about things that interest you (this also includes travel!).

If you want to start knitting or doing construction projects again, or even pick up a book, this is the time to do it!

Take On Home Projects

Speaking of things that you may have neglected while taking care of the kids, home improvement projects are another way to keep busy without worrying about what your child is up to at school.

This will give you some time to focus on a project you may have been meaning to get to, so it’ll be very satisfying when you finally get around to it and complete it.

If it’s something simple like painting a bedroom or rearranging the furniture, you can get it done within a few days or less.

Longer projects, like remodeling a bathroom or getting new appliances, may take months to complete.

Don’t commit to a project you won’t have time to complete, but do take a leap and do something you’d like to do!

Longer projects can help take your mind off what your kid is doing while they’re away from home, and when they return, it’ll give you something to talk about too!

If doing projects or catering to hobbies doesn’t entice you, it’s okay to call your child while they’re away from home.

However, try to do it sparingly so you’re not distracting your child from their homework or their friends while at college. They miss you as much as you miss them, but they’ll call when they need you!

Photo by Anisur Rahman on Unsplash