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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Empty Nest: Life Beyond Parenting - Now What? | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

Empty Nest: Life Beyond Parenting - Now What? | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network:


Empty Nest: Life Beyond Parenting - Now What?

Right now, in homes across the country, college acceptance letters are sitting on kitchen tables. Your own children may be deciding where to go to college. Excitement is high, but the reality is also bittersweet. Why? You know that there will be an empty chair at the table.
When your child leaves home for college, work, marriage, or service, the reality of a major change in your parenting role sits with you in your now silent home.
Whether you work, are single, married, or a stay at home parent, you will have moments of grieving. You will wonder, what do I want to do now with my free time?  At this major life transition, one that is both joyous and challenging, you are being invited to become curious about who you are beyond being a mother or father.
When I dropped my daughter off at her college dorm, three thousand miles from home,