The past few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. My oldest child headed off for her final year of college this past weekend. Her brother moves into an apartment for his second year of school in just a few days. We were fortunate to have both of them home with us for the summer. Around the end of July, it finally dawned on me that this could be it. Our final summer with the four of us all under the same roof. The tears began to flow steadily.
People told us we would be sad when our son started college last year because we would officially be empty nesters, but I scoffed at that idea. Our son was attending school less than two hours away and we knew we would see him on the occasional weekend. This August, though feels different, and it’s brought out a lot of different feelings. Of course, being a writer, I know I shouldn’t waste the opportunity to generate some new ideas for essays and blog posts, and distract myself at the same time.
Here are a few I’ve come up with:
Forty-Eights Hours in Asheville, N.C. I’m planning to share our itinerary based on a recent trip to Western North Carolina where my daughter and I stayed at a historic B&B, checked out a few rooftop bars in downtown, and spent a day exploring The Biltmore Estate, Gardens, and Winery.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until Your Children Are Out of the House to Cultivate Hobbies and Special Interests. A few years ago, my husband and I joined a monthly neighborhood dinner club, we both volunteer with the music ministry at our church, we exercise regularly, I write fiction, podcast, freelance write and edit, belong to a book club, and we are planning an anniversary trip to Greece and Turkey next month. I’ve also taken a part-time job at a local independent bookstore. I’m grateful we began participating in these activities and traveling on our own well before our kids were out of the house. I feel we would be struggling a lot more if we hadn’t and our mental and physical health are much better for it.
A Helpful Mom’s Guide to Surviving the Grocery Store as a College Student. When my daughter first began apartment living, she subscribed to an inexpensive meal delivery service and quickly amassed some favorite recipes. It helped her figure out what ingredients she didn’t like and now she meal plans and shops on her own. My son . . . is not as motivated to cook for himself but knows he doesn’t want to eat out for every meal. I recently took a trip up and down the frozen food aisle of our grocery store to find some healthy options he can stock his freezer with and I’m culling through my favorite cookbooks for a few more ideas for him. If I’m motivated enough, I might even create a handy graphic in Canva to share my ideas! I've come full circle in writing about motherhood because the very first article I ever sold to a magazine was about how you should stock your kitchen with meals before baby arrives!
I’ve written about every stage of motherhood up until this point, and I’m never going to stop being a mom. I hope these new ideas help keep my heart and soul at ease in the coming months.
How have you written through the various transitions and stages of your life? I’d love to hear from you!
Renee Roberson is an independent podcaster and creator of the show, “Missing in the Carolinas.” Her essay, “Behind the Red Door,” recently received an Honorable Mention in this year’s Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition (Memoirs/Personal Essay Category) and addresses the topic of discovering a neighbor had been arrested for child abuse and neglect.
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