College Move-In/Empty Nesting Open Thread

Damn dude! Someone is cutting onions!

My oldest starts kindergarten today. Seeing her get on a bus for the first time definitely pulled in some heart strings. I can only imagine that this is one of many heartfelt moments in my life with my children. 

My two daughters are 26 and 23 so Im well into the empty nest phase. I found that them leaving for college was more bitter than sweet. However getting them out of school was more sweet…seeing them truly become adults, starting careers and of course no more tuition. 

Both sons have graduated college and are working in their favored fields, step son went another route and is in his second year of a 4 year enlistment in the USMC.   Incredibly proud of all three.  Having the empty nest is beautiful...... we are enjoying it thoroughly....

My youngest just turned 21.  Three Daughters and we have been raising children since 1991.  Like yourself we have been blessed and although 3 girls is drama filled they do love their Father's.  All 3 attend or attended Kansas (Jayhawks - 2 there now oldest went on to her Masters at Northwestern) however each one has made multiple trips back to AA for games.

Social media also allows the urchins to connect when in AA as if they were on campus in Lawrence with sorority sisters, kids at Michigan they went to High School with (including a couple of Rockhurst guys on the football team - taking the 21 year old and her 3 close friends to the opener this year - pray for me) and others.

Empathy with the tears of joy, pride and concern.  You never stop worrying.  My wife and I have 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, (2) 65" big screens and a Laso Apso that misses the posse as much as we do.

Slow down, take the time to have time with your kids.  Nobody remembers the things you give but they will always remember the time and how you made them feel.

nice post OP.  

we only have 5 kids home now and it seems, well, overly quiet.   still busy but i can see the end of the road with kids leaving the house like an airborne troop: 

it will be a sad day when the kids are all gone, but as the true meaning of bittersweet, i will be so happy for them and the lives they have in front of them. 

We are "kind of" an empty nesters now. Our youngest just graduated with his U of M Masters, and while he is working now, I'm sure he cannot wait to move out and be on hos own. (A natural process.) 

One of the big things about being an empty nester is that now YOU/SPOUSE have to do everything at home. That is, walking the dog, getting milk and little things at the store, mowing the lawn, etc.....  Taking care of these small items really takes up time, at least for us. It's supposed to get easier, but does it really?  :-) )

Best of times for you and your family.

GO BLUE!!!!

My daughter just moved out of Ann Arbor after a successful 4-year run at UM.   Sigh.  Time flies.

Moved my son into college two weeks ago.  First year student.  He's playing football at the collegiate level, so he was able to move into the dorms early.    It's amazing how different moving day is when you're not fighting with thousands of other students for parking spots.   

My son has a roommate.  Despite social media, email, and modern ways of easily connecting, they have not communicated yet.   I find this hilarious, but it drives Mrs. Bootlegger bonkers.

Empty nesting has commenced in the Bootlegger household.   Maybe I'll walk around naked more frequently.

Congratulations!  I have one who's flown the coop,  but three others that are all very aware of the fact they will be evicted once they finish high school. I envy you.  I love my kids and want to see what they do with their own lives before I get old or infirm.

My son left for Minnesota on Saturday for his junior year. He's studying to be a minister, so he has 6 years left. Sending him back this time was harder than when he first went away. He worked with me this summer. Although he was in the plant and I'm in the front office, I was still able to see him quite a bit. He's a throwback. A good work ethic is a dying art these days, but he was working extra shifts, picking up the slack for less motivated co-workers, seeing stuff that needed to get done and doing it without being asked. His boss told me he was real sorry to see him go. It was so amazing to see how much he's matured in the last 2 years. It feels like this summer we went from father-son to close friends.

The two older girls are both out of college and the house, but our youngest is still home. She's starting her sophomore year in HS tomorrow. I can't wait for all the events to start up (volleyball, basketball, softball, singing for Sunday church with the school choir, all her club outings, etc).

Even after she heads to college, I don't think we'll be empty nesters. My wife also runs the International Program at our school, bringing in kids from around the world. This year it's Turkey, S. Korea, Vietnam, Spain, Germany, Thailand, The Congo (BTW - I think they already own the rights to "The"). It's amazing the connections we make with these kids. Some of them even become like your own kids. My one daughter's best friend is from Korea.

Dang, wasn't expecting some feelies like this with my morning coffee...  great post, thank you for sharing.

Only "interesting" story was the horror show of my legacy son's second year on S State living in a fraternity with his "bros" and cratering his GPA. An end of sophmore year father/son conversation ensued, a nearby studio apartment was soon rented, and the business of GPA improvement resumed while still enjoying (in proper balance) the good life in A2 with his bros.

BTW, I completely lost it while watching him come down the massive steps of Angell Hall when he registered for his first classes.

I have one starting his sophomore year in college, one in high school and one starting kindergarten...no empty nesting for me for a while.

A bittersweet congrats to you - so cool that both are at UM. Enjoy the peace and quiet, though I'm guessing now and again, you'll miss the hustle?

My younger son has special needs, so I don't know that we'll ever be officially empty nesters. Just don't knwo what the future holds there. But, once our older son goes - hopefully - to Michigan (or elsewhere), it'll be a world of difference. He's in 6th grade, yet I can't mentally avoid thinking about the fact that he's only 6+ years from moving out. 

For those that are just starting out - and those that are planning to... its hyperbole, but these years go by so quickly. I'm already missing a lot about the early years... and the kids just went off to school for their first day of 6th and 3rd grade. There was a time they would look back to be reassured.. now we get a casual wave :)

Not yet, but with my oldest entering grade 11 this is no longer an otherworldly hypothetical. I’m closer to sending my daughter off to college than to… to… the beginning of the pandemic.

Excuse me, I have to go find a quiet place to yell something for a moment.  

I moved my youngest one last week - she went to the dark side but so far so good.

Year 2 of empty nesting here - a soph and a junior at the same school, just nowhere near us.

It's awesome having adult kids (I've liked every age for different reasons) and we miss them for sure, but modern tech is great - weekly facetime with each, and sometimes together because they hang out at least once a week.  AND, the Mrs. and I get to be just us again.  Same things, OP, go where we want, when we want, etc.  Having kids is an incredible gift for us, but more importantly I signed up to live for the long haul with the Mrs. and for as long as we have our health, we get to have all the fun.

Congrats on the empty!