Un-nesting. Could it be Blissfully Real?

I’m constantly searching for material that dispels my internal anti-mantra, “You are a bad mommy. You shouldn’t be so happy that your children have left the nest. You are a bad…” In my latest frantic search, I came across a theory that I love. Un-nesting.

Suzanne Koven, M.D. writes in her post for Psychology Today entitled “The Un-Nesting Instinct”:

Celia’s story started out sounding pretty familiar-a cliché almost. She was fiftyish and going through menopause and, in addition to the weight gain and hot flashes, she found herself irritable and sad. Her children, she told me, were a particular source of sadness. “You mean because they’re growing up, moving away?” I asked. ‘No,’ answered Celia, ‘Because they’reCONTINUE READING >>

I’m constantly searching for material that dispels my internal anti-mantra, “You are a bad mommy. You shouldn’t be so happy that your children have left the nest. You are a bad…” In my latest frantic search, I came across a theory that I love. Un-nesting.

Suzanne Koven, M.D. writes in her post for Psychology Today entitled “The Un-Nesting Instinct”:

Celia’s story started out sounding pretty familiar-a cliché almost. She was fiftyish and going through menopause and, in addition to the weight gain and hot flashes, she found herself irritable and sad. Her children, she told me, were a particular source of sadness. “You mean because they’re growing up, moving away?” I asked. ‘No,’ answered Celia, ‘Because they’reCONTINUE READING >>

The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs

We recently had the chance to speak with Susan Shain  on a topic that we get asked about all of the time, how to afford travel. Her new book, The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs: How to Have Fun, Make Money and Travel the World, is loaded with ideas that we are happy to introduce it to our readers…

CONTINUE READING >> 

We recently had the chance to speak with Susan Shain  on a topic that we get asked about all of the time, how to afford travel. Her new book, The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs: How to Have Fun, Make Money and Travel the World, is loaded with ideas that we are happy to introduce it to our readers…

CONTINUE READING >> 

No, We Won’t Buy You a…

Our main goal as parents was to end up with happy, healthy, self-sufficient adults.

We can’t tell anyone how to do this — everyone’s different and Lord knows we made our share of mistakes along the way — but we can offer an insight that we’ve gained through our own offspring’s transitions from childhood to adulthood.

Don’t give kids everything they want, just everything they need.

A whole lot of what they want is stupid crap and… CONTINUE READING >>

Our main goal as parents was to end up with happy, healthy, self-sufficient adults.

We can’t tell anyone how to do this — everyone’s different and Lord knows we made our share of mistakes along the way — but we can offer an insight that we’ve gained through our own offspring’s transitions from childhood to adulthood.

Don’t give kids everything they want, just everything they need.

A whole lot of what they want is stupid crap and… CONTINUE READING >>

The Empty Nest Through a Husband’s Eyes

There is much more to beauty and allure than physical appearance. Years of shared experiences, and the comfort of complete compatibility, more than make up for any lost youth, no matter what these marketers splash across our screens.

As men, we see those images too, and have been persuaded — no, programmed — into thinking that we all want supermodels who think about nothing more than fun times and a lot of beer. Well, I have two things to say about that:

First… CONTINUE READING >>

There is much more to beauty and allure than physical appearance. Years of shared experiences, and the comfort of complete compatibility, more than make up for any lost youth, no matter what these marketers splash across our screens.

As men, we see those images too, and have been persuaded — no, programmed — into thinking that we all want supermodels who think about nothing more than fun times and a lot of beer. Well, I have two things to say about that:

First… CONTINUE READING >>

Empty Nest Egg

Where did you live when you were first starting out? I’ll bet it wasn’t quite the Taj Mahal.

Our first place was a one bedroom, former screened-in porch that had all the weather proofing of the average wiffle ball. It was a veritable private zoo of insect vermin — and we were glad to have it. We were proud and happy to be on our own.

Who are we to deny our offspring those same pleasures?CONTINUE READING >>

Where did you live when you were first starting out? I’ll bet it wasn’t quite the Taj Mahal.

Our first place was a one bedroom, former screened-in porch that had all the weather proofing of the average wiffle ball. It was a veritable private zoo of insect vermin — and we were glad to have it. We were proud and happy to be on our own.

Who are we to deny our offspring those same pleasures?CONTINUE READING >>

The Best? (Worst?) Funniest. Family Portrait. Ever.

Every family has ’em.

Piles of throw-away snapshots that you can’t bear to throw away. Before digital cameras, our generation put every picture — no matter how bad — into a photo album. After all, they were precious – and we shelled out big bucks to have them developed.

Then there are the CLASSICS. The ones you should have thrown away, but instead you frame them. This one is ours.

Think about it, we thought we were sitting for a lovely family portrait. Clearly, all heck is breaking loose and none of us could… CONTINUE READING >>

Every family has ’em.

Piles of throw-away snapshots that you can’t bear to throw away. Before digital cameras, our generation put every picture — no matter how bad — into a photo album. After all, they were precious – and we shelled out big bucks to have them developed.

Then there are the CLASSICS. The ones you should have thrown away, but instead you frame them. This one is ours.

Think about it, we thought we were sitting for a lovely family portrait. Clearly, all heck is breaking loose and none of us could… CONTINUE READING >>

Who’s Kidding Who?

The last task of raising a child is letting them go.

Allowing them to flap their cute little wings and fly… giving them a gentle nudge out of the nest to get them airborne.

OK, sometimes it’s more like a hard shove off a cliff… but then the harder transition from the parent-child to an adult-to-adult relationship must be made.

This process doesn’t happen overnight… CONTINUE  READING >>

The last task of raising a child is letting them go.

Allowing them to flap their cute little wings and fly… giving them a gentle nudge out of the nest to get them airborne.

OK, sometimes it’s more like a hard shove off a cliff… but then the harder transition from the parent-child to an adult-to-adult relationship must be made.

This process doesn’t happen overnight… CONTINUE  READING >>