Having children is wonderful and frightening all at the same time. Suddenly, we are responsible for these helpless little human beings, our sons and daughters. Our mothering kicks in and we nurture, teach, care for, and protect our children the best we can.

We enjoy all of the moments that mothers get to spend with their kids, and there are scary moments that we mothers have to deal with. First, our little babies are heading off to Kindergarten on a bus they are not familiar with going to school without our supervision. We have to put the trust into the teachers and the school system. As a mother it can be exciting and scary to send your baby off to school for the first time.

Each year they grow and learn as we sit in amazement at how this is happening right in front of our eyes! Then the time comes for them to leave home entirely to live on their own and go off to college. This experience is a lot different than sending your baby to Kindergarten. Your baby is now an adult and will be living in another place. Being home without your child there with you can be scary and worrisome. While you will still need to be a crucial part of your adult child”s life, you may start to feel depressed and lonely. This is normal, but you do have a life to live as well. You can use the following steps to help you prepare for an empty nest or deal with an empty nest.

6 Steps To Survive The Empty Nest Syndrome

1. Stay Busy: If you seem to have a lot of spare time now you can go out and do something for yourself. You could volunteer, take some classes, start a new hobby, and anything else that can help fill the gaps in your spare time.

2. Go Away: Take a vacation, and it does not have to be an airplane ride away. Take your spouse (or go it alone) to a nice, relaxing place. This will be the beginning of another stage in your relationship, so start it off right with a romantic get away! If you aren’t in a relationship, take some buddies with you and have a great time.

3. Empty Space: You now have some more room in your home with your teen away. Although you may not feel like using it, you can. You aren’t intruding on their space, because it isn’t theirs anymore. It is yours. Even before they move out you can start to make plans for what you will do with their room. Add some new paint, clean it up, decorate, and make it your own. If you procrastinate on this you will be keeping yourself in the empty nest syndrome instead of moving out of it.

4. You Are Still Needed: Just because your child is not living with you anymore, does not mean they don”t need you anymore. They will always need you! Create some care packages for him or her to send. It will be appreciated, and you just might have fun doing it.

5. You Did Good: We all know that being a mother is a lifetime name and responsibility. However, during this phase you need to pat yourself on the back for raising a smart, independent young man or lady. You did a good job, and you deserve to feel proud of that.

6. Support Is Needed: You need support during this time. This is a life change for you. No one expects it to be easy, and it certainly isn’t. However, you can get through it with the help of your family and friends.

Linda Allen is the co-founder of GirlfriendsCafe.com, a free social network for women throughout the United States and Canada.For further information on GirlfriendsCafe, please visit GirlfriendsCafe.com

Source: Six Steps to Survive the Empty Nest Syndrome