The Single Parent and the Empty Nest!

It occurred to me, just the other day, when my son mentioned for the 10th time in a week. “You know I’m going to be 18 in about a month” -- he actually only mentioned it once but I think I repeated it 9 more times to myself -- I wasn’t going to have a lot more time with him in the house. He is planning on going to college locally but since getting his job and his wheels he’s become very independent. He and his buddies are even talking about sharing an apartment while they are going to college.

You see I’m not his first stop when he needs a good meal or his clothes washed and since he’s making good money I’m not even getting asked for cash anymore. In fact he even offered to pay for dinner the other night, so it appears I am much less needed these days and soon I may not see him very much at all. This isn’t sitting well with me.

Most guys, I would think, look forward to the day the kids leave the house because it takes a little pressure off of them and they can start to enjoy themselves a little more. Moms of course don’t traditionally handle the empty nest very well and I’m expecting his Mom to have some difficulty with it. What surprises me is how I’m reacting. He has been such a huge part of my life and since I am not currently married or seriously dating I’m thinking I may actually get a little lonely.

I’m not going to stress out about it right now. I still have some time before he moves out but I think I may need to start planning my future a little. I’ve avoided serious dating relationships over the years because I didn’t want to complicate things with him – that is a topic for another post – maybe now is the time I should start looking for someone to spend my twilight years with – I think that scares me more then the empty nest. Yes, I have issues!