I'm officially an "Empty Nester"!
I can't believe this day has come.
People always said to me "They grow up so fast. Savor every moment. You'll blink and they'll be gone."
They were right.
My husband and I are lucky enough to have a beautiful blended family of four amazing children. Today, the last one left for University, leaving us to ourselves, opening up a new chapter that we are excited to begin.
But with that excitement also brings pangs of emotion, memories and reflection. Did we spend enough time with them? (probably not) Did we take "time" for granted? (totally) Did we work too much? (yep, too much) But with that being said, I feel we can pat ourselves on the back knowing we have raised four fantastic young adults who are completely capable, self reliant, street smart, independent and ready to fly from the nest. They worked their butts off to get accepted into incredible Universities. (Four different ones of course, just to keep the logistics oh, so interesting). They slaved at their summer jobs to support their "extra curricular" activities (can you say "beer pong") on their own, without having to call mum and dad for an allowance (we're proud).
I guess what I am trying to say is that we will sleep well tonight. There is no rhyme or reason to raising kids. Knowing they have a solid foundation, good morals, good work ethic and good judgement is really all you can send them out of the nest with. As my dad always said to me, "Annabel, you've gotta teach those kids to fly and fly away." I guess that's what we did. To all the other "empty nester" parents out there. Sweet dreams.