August 28, 2000
FAMILY MATTERS:
Life goes on, even in the empty nest
___Our only child is leaving for college. How do parents live through this time?
___A day at a time. And these days feel longer to you than to your college-boundoffspring.
___They, these babies so quickly turned young adults, will go off to campuses where they are welcomed with activities of all kinds. They will likely start making new friends the first week on campus. Most universities spend countless hours and energy seeking to welcome students in ways that will make them glad they chose that particular school.
MARY STEDHAM
Family Counselor,
Abilene
___While your child is shouting cheers in some "Welcome Week" activity or talking with a new friend, buying books and studying campus maps, you are reflecting on how quickly 18 years can fly by and wondering when the phone will ring. You are not just missing the call that is hopefully forthcoming from your son or daughter; you are missing all those other calls from people looking for that same son or daughter. Everyone knows, after all. They know not to call because that friend is gone now. That silence can be deafening.
___Sounds pretty dismal so far, doesn't it? It need not.
___Your child is not the only one on the verge of a new chapter. You and your spouse can set about to make some new friends, or perhaps you can simply spend time with some long-neglected old ones. You can buy some books and expand your minds, whether you read for pleasure or for knowledge. Likely, you will have more time of your own now that the ball games and debate meets, the choir concerts and car washes are not dotting your schedule.
___So, you can look for places to explore, just like your child. You can make time to visit places nearby that you have always talked about wanting to see, or you can commit to going on a mission trip with the group from church.
___In short, you too can welcome this transition time and trust that both you and your child will grow through it, or you can resist it, longing to turn the clock back. The Psalmist said it well: "This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!"
___Your child is encountering a wonderful new world, filled with hope and promise, and so are you! The empty nest can be a lovely dwelling place when God is given room to work. Loose his power on this time in your life, and you will experience amazing things!
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