Job well done!!

Soooo, you’ve joined the empty-nester ranks, have you?!?! First and foremost, congratulate yourself on a job well done, my friend! You survived sleepless nights with an infant, kept from killing yourself through the terrible two’s….in my case terrorist three’s…..back to sleepless nights only this time with testy teens…..you survived!! Or, rather, your kid survived!

Now what? If you’re married, the two of you might be looking at each other with deep-rooted questions…..what the fuck do we do with ourselves now? If you’re a single parent, now you’re really feeling emo….in case you’re not hip (like me) emo = emotional. The feelings you’re experiencing are almost the same as when you brought home that bundle of screaming mess….you didn’t know what to do then and you don’t know what to do now. But, my friend, think back….you figured it out and everyone survived. Allow yourself this opportunity, this space, this freedom to rediscover who YOU are as a person!

Parenthood is one of the most sacred of jobs and you’ve done it well! Go forth, young person, now is your parents turn! Go forth, parents, rediscover who you are at this stage of life and know that you have earned your freedom!

Drink that wine (but call an Uber so you don’t drink and drive!), do that shot(s) of tequila and don’t worry about not remembering that you danced on the bar….you’ve earned it! Celebrate who you are and your accomplishments and know that you have earned permission to let loose….by all means, dance naked in your livingroom! Go on a trip by yourself and don’t feel guilty, don’t fret, you’ve earned it!

In doing anything you want, remember that you are setting an example for the child(ren) you’ve raised…..you are showing them it is okay to celebrate YOU! You are showing them the greatest picture there is….love. Love them, love you, love LIFE!!

I have spent the past several years winging this whole single parent escapade and wondering if the choices I’ve made are the right ones. Oh, news flash, parenting doesn’t come with a handbook! And now my child is off into her world figuring life out and I am in my new world of parenting from afar…..you never stop being a parent…you just do it differently in different phases. So, what do I do now? I enjoy life as I know it to be now and I share that beautiful gift with her…..so that one day, she will find her own strength as she enters the world of empty-nesting!!

Job well done, my friends!! Now breathe and take yourself out to dinner !!!