But it was strange to come back to an empty room. Well, a messy empty room, which seems like an oxymoron.
I feel quite torn by all this. Not that I want him living in my basement into his 30s - after all, it was time for him to stretch his wings - but this is the first time since 1992 that he wasn't living under my roof.
Maybe I'll go through my whole life seeing him like this:
His first beer at the Hoffbrauhaus in 1996.
I must confess that I'm rather disappointed in myself - my sentimental reaction is so common as to be boring. It's easy enough for me to be boring, so I shall endeavor to be less so in the future.
But one down and one more to go. When Camp Borepatch gets sold, that will happen too.
Let them know you love them. And hug them when you can.
ReplyDeleteYou know why...
gfa
I suffered this in July, so I feel your pain. Interesting thing is, I see him more now than before he moved out.
ReplyDeleteThey always remain somewhere between six and twelve in our minds...
ReplyDeleteGuffaw: +infinity
ReplyDeleteThe conversion from "full house" to "empty nest" may be something you expect - they do eventually HAVE to get on with their own lives - but it's bittersweet.
When our daughter moved to San Francisco, we knew that our only contact with her would be via phone or video chat. She moved to LA a couple of years ago and seems much happer now. Sometime between moving from SF to LA, she started calling home almost every day. I think she misses us as much as we miss her. With luck, she'll be coming to a business-related expo in NY sometime in the spring, and may extend her stay to come home for a few days.
My son went to school in Rhode Island (Johnson & Wales) and still lives in Newport - he works for the PGA in Norton MA - so we do see him on his occasional day off. He sometimes stays overnight, and breakfast together is wonderful. But those days will also end. I'm hoping later than sooner, but they will end - eventually.
BUT
I take pride in the fact that they are both self-sufficient, doing well, and doing what they love (she's an optician, he's a sous chef). I only hope that I had a part in helping them build happy lives.