Dealing with life once your children (yes they are still, and will always be, children) have not only grown up, but also gone and upped and left the family home, is strange, and it is real. It is that real, in fact, that it has been categorized as a syndrome: empty nest syndrome, to be precise.
Empty nest
However, just because they have flown your nest, does not mean that cannot still offer them support if their wings were to ever lose the power to fly (that is enough of the bird metaphors, promise). They still need your help, in more ways than you or they realize. Here a few ways you can continue to provide the service to your children that you have given them all of their lives.
Be a role model
Your child learned by imitating you — that is a fact. When they were toddlers, specifically, imitation marked a major milestone for them. You do remember when your little angel would not stop copying everything you said, right? You probably remember having to watch your language at this time, in fear that you would send your toddler off to nursery sporting a new and unsavory word that they could not wait to tell everyone they possibly could.
So, if you were the one they copied and based their actions on when they were young, why would they stop doing it now? In fact, this is especially poignant when they are of the age of becoming a young adult; because it is a scary time where they do not know exactly who they are and what they can offer to the big, wide world, they may very well just follow your lead. This is why is it vital that you continue to be a role model to them. You know the type of things to do already: eat healthy, be nice and polite to people, stay out of prison — the usual suspects in just, generally, being a decent human.
Offer support when disasters strike
Your son or daughter being involved in an accident may be your worst nightmare, but if it happens, you cannot let that cripple you and stop you from giving them all the help they need. Whether that means helping them seek the correct assistance to fight for their fees, using Medler Law Firm, for instance, so that they can focus on their recuperation rather than money troubles, or nursing them back to health, you must be on hand and ready to do it.
Making sure they are healthy
It is not only when they need nursing that you should focus on their health — you should do so all the time, even if it annoys them. Even when they are not children anymore, your job still is not done to make sure they get enough sleep, for example. Click here to get a heads up on how to help your teenager get enough sleep at night so that they can tackle some of the most important days of their lives.
So, there you have it. Even though the nest is now empty, it does not mean that your job as mother hen is over (sorry, that bird metaphor just slipped out). Moreover, it does not mean that the nest will always be empty, as it may very soon be known as ‘Granny’s house’.
