After a couple of decades of child-rearing, from changing diapers to warming midnight bobbies; *POOF*! All that's left is a lonely stuffy on the bed, some old CD cases, and a closet full of mementos that you now crawl through, a silly sentimental tear rolling down your nose. Now what?

Kids -- they grow up so fast. And while you treasure the ever-evolving relationship you now have with your children as they grow up, admit it: you mis...

Imagine a World Without an Empty Nest? There's a big change brewing that could really wreak havoc on our empty nesting cycle. We're talking about a move toward online learning -- imagine: your kid does not GO to college -- He does college from the comfort of your home!

Now that I'm an empty nester with a world full of possibilities, I think back to the days when my choices were almost nil, and in some ways I think my then-toddler sons had more options than I did. For many years, until my third son went off to college, it seemed that my choices were limited indeed.

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue By Anne Kreamer In turning an empty adult child's bedroom into an office, a mother blends generations of family history...

Some people claim that God created teenagers so parents wouldn't die of utter despair when their formerly adorable children left the nest and toddled off to college. But what if your teenagers are not insufferable? What if they're sweet, affectionate and pleasant to be around? What then?

"Empty nester!" friends exclaim. "How is it?" Just as I thought it would be. And completely the opposite.

I clicked on a website. "Hey," I sat up straight. "Take a look at this." He glanced over, and then his eyes caught. I nodded. He moved closer. "What do you think?" My voice was quiet.

On paper that minivan provided 150 cubic feet of space, enough to transport almost all my son's possessions. On this day it held a lot more than that.

In just a few years, the challenge for parents has become even more daunting as kids constantly measure themselves against the lives of their friends on Facebook. ...How can parents imbue their children with the sense that the greater race is within them?

This is probably the most jolting part of the empty nest -- when you look at each other and think, 'Oh wow, it's just us now.'

You're always going to be a mother. You're just not an intense full-time mother -- you're a part-time mother and that's a good thing.

In my head, I know that parenthood is just a scaffolding, a temporary support during our children's construction of the actual building of their adult lives. But inwardly, I am beginning the uneasy process of squaring my heart with their growing up and leaving.