A question for you experienced PE'ers

[Kathy813]

I don't look at my difficult child's moving out as the end of our relationship. Instead, I look at it as the start of a different kind of mother/daughter relationship ~ one of an adult mother and adult daughter leading their own lives while still enjoying special times together. I have wonderful memories of difficult child as a little girl and not so wonderful memories of the teenage years but I am ready for a new role as the parent of adult children.

Isn't that really the goal of every parent? Don't we all want our children to grow up to be functioning, independent adults that move out and lead their own lives?

~Kathy

 

[Hound dog]

Don't miss easy child at all. But then we're almost in constant contact. lol

And I seriously doubt I'll miss the difficult children once they're out on their own. I'm going to be one mother who doesn't suffer from Empty Nest Syndrome. Raising 3 kids (plus stepgfg) and 2 of them being difficult children has been an exhausting 20+ yrs. I'm ready to have my house and my life back.

As for missing some of the good times when they were little...... Yeah. Every once in a while. But then the grandkids cure that right up. lol

Hugs

 

[trinityroyal]

I think that's the key.
Now that difficult child is out of our house, we are having the chance to re-establish a good relationship that had deteriorated to avoidance or yelling when he was here. Not good for him, for me, for husband or difficult child, or for anyone else who had to be around when that was going on.

Now that I'm not the prime disciplinarian anymore, I can just be his mom. This is WAY better.