Empty Nest Grieving Is Real
The Kids Moved Out. Who am I meant to be now?
It’s not what you expect.
My son was born when I was sixteen, and his mother left when he was only four months old. He’s been my life for a very long time. Having a child so young, I went straight from childhood into parenthood. I never got that part in the middle where you get to grow up, move out, enjoy time with your friends, travel and do all the silly things your peers do.
While my friends were out getting drunk, partying, meeting girls, enjoying the college life with no worries, I was balancing my studies with changing nappies, night feeds and baby puke. It was such a difficult and different world, and I won’t say it was easy, because it wasn’t. But I don’t regret a single moment of it. Being a parent is one of the best things to ever happen to me.
And sure, there are times when I might not have got things right. Children don’t come with rule books, but we had a lot of fun. My son became my best friend. He still is, even though he’s married now with children of his own, but it…
