Women tell Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates that they experience a wide range of emotions when they move from having children in the home to the empty nest. Barbara and Susan describe those feelings and what to do with them, in a conversation with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine.
We have eight children, so I was blessed to have lots of time to work on this! I think one of the best things I did to prepare myself, was to slowly begin practicing benevolent detachment when they were teens. Allowing them to make more decisions on their own, being responsible for their assignments, chores, and their own money and some expenses. It was gently leading them into adulthood for their own benefit and letting go of some of their needs for my benefit. Also, purposefully building a life for myself outside of my children- making time with God and my husband priority, and developing other interests and ministries.
The two emotions which surfaced upon entering the Empty Nest were Fear and Freedom. Where are they? What are they doing? Are they safe? The Lord took this Fear from me. They are ultimately His, not mine. He who knit them together in my womb loves them even more than I do! The Freedom in the Empty Nest has allowed me time to pursue my writing more fully and launch Pursuing Perfection on Substack. So thankful He blessed me with kiddos!
We have eight children, so I was blessed to have lots of time to work on this! I think one of the best things I did to prepare myself, was to slowly begin practicing benevolent detachment when they were teens. Allowing them to make more decisions on their own, being responsible for their assignments, chores, and their own money and some expenses. It was gently leading them into adulthood for their own benefit and letting go of some of their needs for my benefit. Also, purposefully building a life for myself outside of my children- making time with God and my husband priority, and developing other interests and ministries.
The two emotions which surfaced upon entering the Empty Nest were Fear and Freedom. Where are they? What are they doing? Are they safe? The Lord took this Fear from me. They are ultimately His, not mine. He who knit them together in my womb loves them even more than I do! The Freedom in the Empty Nest has allowed me time to pursue my writing more fully and launch Pursuing Perfection on Substack. So thankful He blessed me with kiddos!