Love this. I love our empty nest! I find it interesting when people say they don’t like the empty nest. Not us. We love it!

As a mom of 5 this has me in tears also. I had 3 of mine in 3 year and had the triple stroller and the whiny toddlers. This does make you believe there is a future for us!!! lol. I often look at older women who gloat over my new baby and tell me they had 5 or 6 or 7 or more and all I can say is look…your still walking & talking & you give me hope that Ill get through the tantrums to the other side! Thanks for giving us a bright outlook…I know I always need it!!!

This article makes me realize I need to enjoy the time I have with my boys now, not sweat the small stuff (i.e. housework, running errands etc) and that one day I will have some ‘me time’ again. thank you.

I too have tears in my eyes, I love these days with my 9, 6, and now 16 month old. Exhausting as they are, they are also filled with so much joy and fun. My youngest has heart disease and we don’t know how long we will get to have her here with us, maybe I’ll write about my story one of these days. Right now it’s very hard to think that life will move, that we won’t always be here with alarms for medicine, pediatrician/card appts, playdates, car seats, tantrums, and constant house destruction;) That someday regardless of what happens we will be able to read a book, share a quiet meal, and just plain breath or go pee when we actually need to, LOL.
Thank you for reminding me to enjoy what we have now and look forward to what we will have then as well.

THANK YOU! That made me tear up. I sometimes fantasize about them being older and leaving home and wonder if I’ll miss these days. I feel guilty at times for these day dreams since my toddler has Cystic Fibrosis and there is no way of knowing how long we will have with him. But with the best possible outcomes in mind, it’s good to know there will be plenty of time to enjoy my own life after I’ve dedicated so much of it to theirs.

Thank you for this article. I currently have 3 girls (6, 4 and 1) and fantasize about what life will be like when they leave home! Today is a “quiet” day – as days go. Only Kindergarten drop off/pick up to remember to do. It’s sad I know but I’m actually looking forward to an afternoon where I can get the laundry finished, the kitched cleaned, some ironing down and maybe, just MAYBE some scrapbooking too. I’ll keep your article in mind as my week ramps up and remember that some day I’ll wish they were still little, at home and under my total control!!!

Molly – you deserve to laugh yourself silly writing – you’ve hit the spot where there’s life at the end of the tunnel. Please don’t get me wrong. I appreciate my kids and love them more than life itself…it’s the daily trials and tribulations where you feel nothing is sinking in and you’re doing it all wrong or you aren’t doing enough OR everyone is a better mother (can you tell I’ve had a few tough weeks : )

Again, thanks for the article – it kinda cemented the fact that although my life seems to be spooling right now, it’s not going to be forever!

I too teared up both from relief and sadness

My children are 29, 25 and 20. I remember those days like yesterday because they were literally yesterday. It all seems a blur now, maybe it’s the wine, but I can honestly say it does get better. Just when I thought I couldn’t do it any more, one went away to school, one moved out and another then went away to school. I realized I have an empty nest. I cried when my first left but by the third I did not shed a tear. Time moves on and sometimes I get sad thinking how fast it all went. I wasn’t a perfect mother, I could be cranky and yell, but basically I did the best I could do and they survived and so did I! Now I can read a book without reading the same sentence 4 times. We can eat dinner with the tv on or not. We can talk to each other or not. We can make love when and where we want. We can make dinner, go out, or heat up something easy. We don’t argue as much…I think the kids were the problem! We can sleep late and go to bed late! We can do whatever whenever and don’t have to worry about the kids’ schedules that ruled our lives all those years! The best part is the kids come to visit and I like them much more. We have dinner and play dominos and then they leave again! I strongly recommend changing their rooms into rooms you want. I now have an office, family room and guest room. I am looking forward to being a grandparent some day but I’m in no rush. This quiet is wonderful! So hang in there you busy parents…enjoy the hugs which by the way are bigger hugs when they grow up! Enjoy the sweet smell of their hair after a bath, and even the dirty puppy smell of a little boy who needs a bath. If you’ve had a bad day, remember there is always tomorrow and it will be better. Take a bubble bath with a glass of wine and you’ll feel better.
PS. I used to tell my kids I was not a mother after 9:00pm…I was a real person!

This article just puts everything into perspective for me. I’m a mother of a 5 year old, a 1 year old and 5 months pregnant. Somedays I worry about what I’m missing out in life( schooling, career, sleep) when my days are filled with constant chaos and giving to my little ones. I love my kids and wouldn’t trade them for anything. So, today this article made me realize that I just need to enjoy what this time is giving to me, live in the present and not worry about anything else. Someday this will pass too. So, for now, bring on the sticky floors, the fry filled cars, screams, and of course the chuckles. And there is always something a child says or does that totally makes it all worth while: My 5 year old son the other day told me that he super loved me like super man. I thought to myself, ok, all those changing of diapers were worth that!

I certainly agree that we must enjoy our children while we can. I just got off the phone with one of mine, and we set a lunch date for next week. I wrote this to support all of you out there who have bad days, and wonder if the exhaustion will ever end. I have found that laughing about life helps put things into perspective, and who needs to laugh more than mothers of young children? I love all your comments, and I send you all my very best! molly

I feel so much better now…. : )
Mine is a long ways away but it helps knowing there is an end.

Let me say this: all of you have made me very emotional. You know, I sit in my pantry and write about my memories, and I mix them up with all the humor I can muster, in order to entertain whomever reads my blog. But I had no idea how my words can touch so many of you out there, with kids in carseats and Sponge Bob on TV. I just want to remind all of you that you are more than Moms, and that there is a life out there waiting for you, and an identity that does not involve parenting. Life has so much to offer when the nest empties. Love to you all! molly

I survived! 3 kids, 2 foster kids, single mom! I just retired from UPS. Kids turned out to be contributing members of society and great parents. There’s a lot to be said for single moms and working moms. It sets a good example for the children. They see what you do every day. I don’t know today’s working moms manage. It seems overwhelming. Not only do they have to see to their children’s (and husband’s) every need, after a hard day’s work they have to take the kids to “Play Dates”…what in the heck is that? My kids played in the yard! Anywho, wine sounds like a good idea right now!

I LOVE this! I hope I get to leave home soon – so my mom can experience this great affect!

So many moms don’t realize that if you can make it past puberty with out killing them, you are home free! I never claimed the perfect mom award. I will say that there are very few things I would change with my now 21 & 23 year old girls. We were friends during most their childhood & are closer now than ever. My husband of 25years & I are dating again. Having a ball. There is ALWAYS hope. For all the moms who are having a tough time? Wish you all the best! WINE A LITTLE & YOU WILL FEEL BETTER!