![How To Make The Most Of An Empty Nest [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/image_blog/nest-with-heart.jpg "How To Make The Most Of An Empty Nest [EXPERT]")
For 20 years, I was a mom first, raising two boys while keeping the house in order. My career, although important, was secondary to being a mother. So, facing an empty nest was a challenge. And to deal with this major life change, I had to make some major changes in my daily routine.
Dad, Grandpa or Uncle- Kids Need a Good Male Role Model Your father (hopefully) was your first role model as a strong and caring male. No matter how old or smart you get, there is a longing in your heart to call out and be heard by your be-there dad. If you did not have that treasure in your home, you may have had to learn the characteristics of an emotionally healthy male by watching and interacting with others.
For once, my teenage daughter decided to talk to me. We were driving home from school and she said, "Dad, I have something to tell you." Here it comes, I thought — either some overwrought teenage drama or a parent's worst nightmare is about to escape my precious firstborn's lips. With a quavering voice she delivered the punch: "Jackie and I are dating."
Suddenly, your son springs on you that he's made the decision that he'd like to live with his father full-time — the joint custody arrangement you had shared with your ex-husband is no longer meeting his needs (at least in his mind). To your son, this may seem a logical request, but to you, it signals the end of a relationship and the closeness you once shared. You may even be taken aback at the emotions you’re feeling and be unsure of where to turn.
My husband and I seem to parent our children differently based on their genders, a tendency I never expected, being the enlightened and empowered woman I am. (“Roar” and all that.) Once we had both a boy and a girl, though, this tendency became obvious.
Tonight I got off work and did a bit of grocery shopping with the family. Then we came home and I proceeded to sit on the couch, eat bean dip and watch the Heat play while my husband made dinner. Is it a little bit of role reversal? Maybe. But the thing is, in our house and in our marriage, traditional gender roles—mom and dad, man and woman—mean almost nothing. My husband does a lot of the housework, he does most of the cooking and he takes care of the boy when I'm at meetings or working late. And we are remarkably happy with this arrangement.
I'm glad I have sons... and only sons. My friends who are mothers of daughters only say that if I had given birth to two females instead, I'd be just as glad to have daughters. I'm not so sure.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck's new baby's name is raising eyebrows and offending some of the public. YourTango's Celebrity Love blog has the story.
You know the type. He has a rock-solid relationship with his mother and was coddled by her way past breaking over into adulthood. In fact, he's still regularly soothed by her matronly ways. Would you want to date a Mama's Boy, though? A few pros and cons to consider first.
I store my secret and satisfying lover in the hidden compartment of an ottoman in my bathroom. Towels are piled high over it, and inside I store all my overflow of beauty and hair products. Deep within that pile is a compartment I stash my "toys." For the past month, I've been finding my vibrator with the batteries dead and always left in the "on" position. I like to conserve energy, so I know I NEVER would have wasted a AA battery in a recession with an amateur move like that. I didn't have the guts to confront my husband, so instead I've spent the past thirty days bitching to my girlfriends about my husband's alleged jealousy over my affair with "Buzz Light My Year on Fire."
When you picture a military couple, one going off to fight a war, and the other taking upon the role of the stay at home parent, society typically envisions the man going off into battle and the woman staying home to raise the children. But with nearly 20 percent of the Air Force consisting of women, men are quickly learning the challenges of being a stay at home parent. And with the military, dads aren't forced to take care of their children on their own from 9 to 5 but rather for months at a time while their wives are away on leave.
