My son's officially a sailor! It's been a tough couple of months adjusting to life without him (given the fact that he's always been here), however I do believe that I have now adjusted or at the very least, adjusted to the point of less adjustment needed. Does that make sense? If not, join the club. Sometimes you can't make sense of life. Life makes sense for 21 years and then it doesn't. Even if you know life is going to change soon and you prepare for it, sometimes you're not prepared. Enter, the, Empty Nest Syndrome.
The empty nest syndrome refers to the grief that many parents feel when their children move out of home. This condition is typically more common in women, who are more likely to have had the role of primary carer.
From The Better Health Channel
Although it states that it is typically more common in women, trust me guys it can easily happen to anyone, who has the role of "primary carer''. Which is less defined as a female role these days. I was the primary carer for my youngest son and the empty nest syndrome hit me like a ton of bricks. It's very real and the grief can be overwhelming. Luckily I got through it with the support of my friends and almost daily letters to my son (letter therapy?).
Although our normal form of communication (talking with each other) was silenced (due to Navy bootcamp rules) the centuries old standard form of communication (letter writing) took its place and those letters saved me (with the help of my friends) from grief bordering on depression. If you're going through empty nest syndrome or know someone who may be going through it, take it seriously and be there for them. If it wasn't for my friends who were there with me when I needed someone to talk to, things would have been a lot tougher. Alas, I made it through this period of my life. I was there for my son's Navy bootcamp graduation and we're using modern technology to communicate again. Life is good once more.
So now it's time to get back to the cartoons and less serious subjects (at least until something serious needs to be addressed again). I apologize for the necessary break in the blogging and I'm looking forward to making up for what has been missed!
