{"id":742,"date":"2011-10-05T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2011-10-05T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thequeenofmyself\/?p=742"},"modified":"2011-10-01T17:52:41","modified_gmt":"2011-10-01T21:52:41","slug":"742","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thequeenofmyself\/2011\/10\/742.html","title":{"rendered":"Field Notes on an Empty Nest \u2013 Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

I see “Begin Again” as an ideal theme for this season. We have the supreme opportunity now in the autumn of our midlife to begin again. How shall we reinvent our Selves? What new programs, projects and passions are on the horizon for us? Please send me your stories of change, transition, and transformation. Our shared experiences serve to inspire and empower us all.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here is one of the stories sent in by a sister Queen.<\/p>\n

Thanks. <\/em><\/p>\n

xxQueen Mama Donna<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Field Notes on an Empty Nest \u2013 Part 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Cindy La Ferle\u00a0 MI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week I found an empty bird\u2019s nest on the brick walk leading to our backyard. I\u2019m guessing the nest fell from a nearby silver maple; or maybe a neighbor found it while jogging and left it by the garden gate for us to admire.<\/p>\n

Not much larger than a cereal bowl, the nest now perches indoors on a shelf near my desk. Crafted from hundreds of delicate twigs, strands of grass, and patches of moss, it\u2019s truly a work of art \u2014 and a timely reminder to prepare for my son\u2019s return to college after the long summer break.<\/p>\n

Children of baby boomers are heading off to college in greater numbers than children of previous generations.\u00a0At the same time, the age-old ritual of “letting go” is the final frontier for those of us who’ve made child rearing a major focus of our adult lives.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been discussing this tender rite of passage with other middle-aged parents. And we all agree there has to be a better term to describe our next season of parenting \u2013 something that doesn\u2019t sound as final or forlorn as \u201cThe Empty Nest.\u201d Our nests, after all, are not completely empty. Not yet. My only child, for example, still has a bedroom here at home in addition to a loft in a crowded dormitory four hours away in South Bend, Indiana.<\/p>\n

Whatever you want to call it, this to-and-from college phase is a thorny adjustment for parents and their almost-adult kids. College students are bound to ignore house rules when they return home for summer and holiday breaks. (\u201cCurfew? What curfew?\u201d) Even the most agreeable families discover that this can be a volatile time \u2013 a time when teen-aged tempers ignite and middle-aged feelings get scorched. All said and done, we\u2019re all learning how to grow up and move on.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow: Field notes on an empty nest \u2013 Part 2<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife<\/em><\/a>. She is the Midlife Midwife\u2122 offering counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity.<\/p>\n

Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE\u2122: http:\/\/www.donnahenes.net\/queen\/consult.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I see “Begin Again” as an ideal theme for this season. We have the supreme opportunity now in the autumn of our midlife to begin again. How shall we reinvent our Selves? What new programs, projects and passions are on the horizon for us? Please send me your stories of change, transition, and transformation.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,11,3],"tags":[13,188,149,124,118,120,18,60],"class_list":["post-742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-midlife","category-wisdom","category-womens-issues","tag-holistic-living","tag-maturity","tag-midlife-motherhood","tag-mother","tag-motherhood","tag-nurturing","tag-queen","tag-transformation"],"yoast_head":"\nField Notes on an Empty Nest \u2013 Part 1 - The Queen of My Self<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thequeenofmyself\/2011\/10\/742.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Field Notes on an Empty Nest \u2013 Part 1 - The Queen of My Self\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  I see “Begin Again” as an ideal theme for this season. 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