When people become parents, it can seem like the next two decades of their lives will be set because they’ll have to take care of their kids. That duration can also become even longer depending on the number of children they have. But once these kids leave the nest, the next phase of their life will begin.
Being an empty nester is something that most parents look forward to because that’s the only time they can finally start putting their own needs before their children’s. That won’t make them seem selfish, especially not after devoting 18 years or more of their lives to giving their all to their children.
But this transitional phase can also leave parents at a loss because their priorities and responsibilities will start changing. They no longer have to be at their children’s beck and call because they are old enough to stand on their feet or make their own decisions, which is why they’ve left the nest.
That’s why you need to have plans for when you become an empty nester. It can be weird not to have to make breakfast for the children when you wake up in the morning or pick up their dirty socks after school, and it can urge you to wish you could go back in time to do it all over again. But that’s just impossible.
Of course, you should give yourself time to be sad and miss your children or how they depended on you every single day of their lives. But you should also see this chapter ending as a new beginning for you to do everything you’ve never had the chance to before. Here are three plans you can realize when you become an empty nester:
Focus on Yourself Again
When you’re taking care of a kid or two (possibly even more), it’s likely that you don’t have enough time to look after your own needs. You’re a person before you were a parent; however, being a parent required you to prioritize your children’s needs before your own. But now that they’ve all left, you have all the time in the world to focus on yourself again.
If you don’t know where to begin, it could be good for you to make a list of everything that you’ve put on hold when you became a parent. These could be your passions or hobbies that you stopped doing because being a parent took up all your time. And it could also be making yourself feel good in your own skin.
For instance, you haven’t been feeling like yourself for a long time because the stress of parenthood was too much for you to deal with, which then caused you to develop the signs of aging earlier than normal. Good thing there’s an easy fix for that — receiving non-invasive treatments for skin problems.
You can find an aesthetic clinic such as Freia Medical that you can trust to help you be the best you can be. There are plenty of medical practitioners out there who have made it their life’s mission to help people feel more confident and beautiful, so you should seek them out if you want to feel young again.
Renovate Your House
With no kids or teenagers running around the house and messing everything up, you can do whatever you want. If you want to renovate the entire house or remodel your kitchen, you can because it’s your house, and no one will be there to stop you from doing so. Moreover, you’ll have more money to spend on the improvements since you no longer have to pay tuition.
You can even consider downsizing if it’s just you and your spouse because it will be a waste of money to pay for a big house. That is if you don’t own the house yet. But if you’re planning to leave the house to own of your kids, then, of course, you shouldn’t abandon it. Besides, where else will you hold thanksgiving dinners?
Other than those situations mentioned, you’ll be free to renovate your house however you please. You can also keep your house as clean and organized as possible because your kids won’t be there to make a mess of the place, which means you can make your organizing dreams finally come true.
Chase After Adventures
Just because you’ve grown much older doesn’t mean you can’t chase after adventures. As long as you can still stand on your own two feet, there aren’t any adventures that you can’t be a part of. Don’t rob yourself of the opportunity to see the world and explore the great unknown, especially if you’ve never done it before.
So, go ahead and book that flight to Europe. Ride the gondolas at Venice Canal while imagining that you and your spouse are on a honeymoon. Or you can even eat croissants in a quaint cafe near the Eiffel tower. The point is that nothing is stopping you from going on an adventure of a lifetime.
Having an empty nest doesn’t mean that you stop being a parent. It just means that you’ve done your job as a parent, and your children are already off having their own adventures. So, instead of wallowing in the sadness of being an empty nester, take this opportunity to be yourself once again.
