"I like to say my wife and I were empty nesters for a minute this year. In the end, we had the house to ourselves for just six months. We were enjoying being empty nesters - and hadn't anticipated that changing so dramatically. We knew some of our daughters would temporarily move back home when they needed to. We hadn't bargained on them all coming back and bringing their boyfriends with them."
"As the year progressed, two of my daughters moved back in - both asking if their boyfriends could do the same. I agreed. Then the university summer break arrived, and my youngest daughter came back home to stay with us, along with her boyfriend. That's three daughters and their boyfriends - suddenly, we had six extra people living in the house at once."
"Things were a little quieter, and we definitely missed having them home. It was a taste of what we're expecting to come in the next couple of years, when we imagine we'll become full, permanent empty nesters. We embraced that alone time. It reminded us of when we first started dating , before we had kids. It brought us closer together as a couple and gave us the opportunity to reconnect and be more romantic"
Randy Charach, 62, had four daughters, ages 19, 21, 24, and 34, who had all moved out by early 2025. The eldest lived in Israel. Randy and his wife enjoyed six months as empty nesters and used the time to reconnect after 25 years together. Over the year, two daughters moved back and asked to bring their boyfriends; both were allowed. During university summer break the youngest also returned with her boyfriend. At one point the household included three daughters and three boyfriends, adding six people. The family anticipates returning to an empty-nester status in a few years.
#empty-nest-transition #adult-children-returning-home #multigenerational-household #family-relationships
Read at Business Insider
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