neglus
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posted on August 17, 2008 09:57:12 AM new
My youngest left this am for a two and a half year stint with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. Her sister left this time last year to teach in Las Vegas. We are OFFICIALLY empty nesters.
Now I have to split my time worrying about the perils of living in Las Vegas and the dangers of living in a former Soviet republic (especially since Putin seems to be in an expansion mode right now).
Of course I am PROUD but also very sad. I hope eBay will keep me busy - just wish I could get back "into" it again.
I probably should change my store name now that the "Mommy" job is all but done.
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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aintrichyet
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:19:28 AM new
oh...my... gosh! you make me cry. :-/
God bless you and them, and keep them out of harm's way.
yup, we're empty nesters just since june of this year. but our 3 kids (& 2 grandsons) don't live real far away.
take care 'mommy' 
~marcia in ohio
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ewora
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:21:35 AM new
Welcome to the empty nest club.
It actually wasn't that bad for me because although they've all moved out they all still live in town.
Stay busy. It helps.
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zippy2dah
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:35:28 AM new
No time for weeping! It's time to have lots of loud sex! It's time to reclaim their bedrooms! Yeeeeeeeee haw!
I hear you about the worrying part though. That's the curse of being a mother and I don't think it ever ends.
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capolady
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:39:36 AM new
I've been an empty nester for 18 years now and I love it. I actually open the fridge and no one has eaten all the food (expect for the husband). I go where I want, when I want. I have 6 grandkids and they all live within 20 minutes of me and are around a lot. 3 of them have their licenses and show up uninvited all the time. 2 are graduating from high school in 2009. One will be a licensed Firefighter and Paramedic and the other is going to college and then on to Law School.
Enjoy your freedom and try not to worry too much about the kids. The one in Vegas will be having too much fun to get in trouble and the one in the Peace Corps-well we just have to leave that one in God's protective hands. Just be proud that your child has a big enough heart to want to give to others. You've obviously done a great job of raising them.
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myfavorites4u
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:55:02 AM new
Hi Neglus,
The first time is easier than the second. I had 5 years of free time and then both wound up back home.
Now, they are on their own and very busy but I still haven't recovered from the youngest moving to another city.
Both girls have survived Vegas and (as you know) my oldest is also a teacher here in an at-risk school. So, try not to worry too much about the one here.
We've been here for 20 years now.
Now, enjoy today and just wait until they get married and have kids.
Grandkids are the best part of life!
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roadsmith
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posted on August 17, 2008 11:30:15 AM new
Zippy has the right idea here! We loved the privacy in the house after the kids were all gone and frolicked without worrying that they'd hear something. It's difficult, sometimes, when your teenagers stay up later than you do--and when the TV room is directly under the bedroom!
We have loved every minute of our empty nest, empty since 1993. The kids have their own lives, and we're in steady communication with them. We're all in the same state (California - a BIG state).
At first we did worry about the kids as they made their ways into the world, but the worry wasn't daily or hourly as when they lived with us; it was more occasional than that.
For us, the empty nest has been delightful, but I have to admit when we dropped our baby, our son, off at Evergreen State in Olympia, I cried in the car for about 30 miles.
_____________________
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carolinetyler
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posted on August 17, 2008 12:58:52 PM new
How sad for you Neglus! But you should be so proud - they sound like wonderful girls. You'll get used to having the house back to yourself, just give yourself some time - and a pat on the back for doing such a wonderful job raising them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Caroline
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neglus
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posted on August 17, 2008 04:37:19 PM new
Thanks for the support. I have been reading quite a bit about Kazakhstan lately (ever since Jessie got her assignment in early June). It was only today that the light bulb went on ... I PUT MY DAUGHTER ON A PLANE TO SIBERIA!!
Seriously. I thought "Siberia" was way up North in Russia. It turns out that the Gulag Archipelago that Solzhenitsyn wrote about is in Kazakhstan. OMG! We have had ongoing battles about the thermostat this summer (daughter thinks I need to set the A/C to 80 degrees and I prefer 75) - she has been wearing fleece and sweaters around the house to stay warm since I refuse to work in the nude.
I am sure hubby and I will get used to the empty house again (after all, our youngest has been in college since 2004), it just won't be the same with no school breaks to look forward to! Lizzie is coming home for a wedding in September and for Thanksgiving. Christmas is up in the air as hubby may have a long work assignment in Australia.
After seeing Mama Mia I have decided we are all going to meet Jessie in Greece next summer. Going to take a LOT of postcard sales to do that!
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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bjboswell
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posted on August 17, 2008 06:27:30 PM new
Mary Ann, I have always considered you one of the brighest bulbs on this site. I was right... you have raised 2 strong healthy giving young ladies. You must be very proud. I have always wanted to go into the Peace Corps... but have no special skills the world needs.I saw a travelogue recently about a Brit who traveled across Asia and through Central Asia into Iran and Jordan. The architecture your daughter will see will broaden her eyes and mind. What a joy for her to see such wonders. I will keep her in my prayers that all will remain safe for her.
Our oldest daughter lives in Denver,a single Mom. Our youngest,27 still lives with us! We joke that she will live with us until she has to go from daughter to nurse!
We had about 1 year of empty nest before she moved back home. There are days I will envy your nest!
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otteropp
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posted on August 17, 2008 10:58:17 PM new
bj...your 27 yr old is what they now call the 'Boomerang kids'.. You send them into the world but they keep coming back!
Neglus...I echo what everyone else has been saying. Give yourself a huge pat on the back for managing to raise two sensible & independent girls in these troubled times.
My family has done it a little differently..my 45 year old daughter just moved in with her 22 yr old and the 1 yr old baby! She has become what we call the Granny-Nanny as she looks after the adorable little guy while my Granddaughter goes to work and will be heading for training as a Registered Care Aid next month.
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pixiamom
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posted on August 18, 2008 09:49:20 PM new
Was at the beach with Mom when we phoned our farewells to Jessie. Mom teared up right away. My first thought when they changed assignments for her: they're taking away a South Seas island and giving her Siberia?
Bragging rights: I can't believe our gene pool produced two such beautiful and generous girls. The others are right - enjoy your empty nest while you can. With Jessie scoring in the upper 10% of all taking the MCAT exam - I'm sure med school is in her future and she'll be dependent on you for some time to come -- keep those postcard sales rollin'!
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bjboswell
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posted on August 19, 2008 03:48:25 AM new
OOOOHHHH Neg, A Doctor! Someone to REALLY take care of you .... later on!
Libbie our youngest is our boomarang. She went into the world with a high school education and met the glass ceiling. She moved to NH with us and is in college and working here.It will take more than the normal 4 years but at some point she will have that BIG diploma!
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deichen
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posted on August 19, 2008 07:05:30 AM new
My oldest (daughter) is going to be a boomarang also - she is 26 finishing law school in December and moving back to prepare for the bar exam and will probably stay a year or so, so she can pay some school loans.
My second (son) is married and living with his wife's family. He recently lost his job and has a new baby (my first grandchild). Grandchildren are the best!
My third (son) is leaving Saturday for college, he stayed home a year and went to school locally. We will miss him terribly - he is a wonderful young man. I have tried to avoid thinking about him leaving all summer. Sometimes, your kids get a really bad attitude before they leave home (most likely part of God's plan), but this son is wonderful, polite, considerate and I will be crying on Saturday.
My youngest (son) is a junior in high school, he already has the attitude!
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Helenjw
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posted on August 19, 2008 07:07:27 AM new
Best wishes to your family Neglus and to your daughter. The Peace Corp serves a good purpose and I'm sure that you are proud that your daughter is off to Siberia. Don't worry too much because she will return, probably to obtain an advanced degree.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Peace Corp could also serve in parts of this country. With unemployment and the economy such a disaster here I'm sure that Peace Corp service could benefit some citizens of our country and at the same time provide Peace Corp jobs for those who are unemployed and without housing.
Do you know if countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan where political oppression by the U.S. has wreaked such havoc is a "U.S. Peace Corp" destination?
BTW....It's never too late to volunteer. Jimmy Carter's mother served when she was 70!
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neglus
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posted on August 19, 2008 07:46:44 AM new
Helen - Peace Corps does not presently serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. They pulled the volunteers from Georgia on August 11 - I don't know if they will be returned or reassigned. PC is careful about assignments because safety of the volunteers is of utmost concern. The program in Kiribati was discontinued because Kiribati Air (I think this consists of one ancient plane) is so unreliable and volunteers could not be reliably evacuated in case of a medical emergency or even transported to main islands for group training.
There are volunteer programs in the US as well. Probably the most popular (and most elite) is Teach for America dealing with the inequities in education in this counrtyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_for_America. The AmeriCorps VISTA program acts as a sort of domestic Peace Corps http://www.americorps.org/in fighting poverty.
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