The prospect of the empty nest, while raising children, was for me as foreign and distant as the Siberian tundra. Imagining myself without children to care for as my primary occupation seemed at once impossible and slightly seductive -- the idea of my kids off and on their own, while I had hours to pursue my dreams was something I thought about only in the abstract.

Sure I have worries and stress and angst and rush around most days like a headless chicken as I try to juggle two kids, a house, a full-time job and a commute that entitles me to a lifetime achievement award from AAA. But on my birthday? Color me content.

The truth is, adjusting to the empty nest the second time around has been easy. Having found my new passion, I was able to let my former self -- the full-time mommy of 20 years -- go peacefully, replaced by a mother of two grown people. I'm ready for anything now.

Remember all those wistful articles by empty nesters on how to transition from chaos to the quiet resulting from children leaving home to establish pe...

When my daughter was in high school, she told me about a college friend who always made sure that if she texted one parent she would also text the other because if she did not, one parent would feel left out. I thought this was ridiculous. Now she is in college. "Did you get a text today?" I ask my husband.

In a very real way, we're all graduates of the school of life and we all have the opportunity to continue to grow and contribute. So here's my commencement address for all of us approaching or inhabiting middle age and wondering what's next?

I get confused on Mother's Day. My first instinct is to be there for my Mom. A close second, if not a full tie, is that I want to be with my kids. Do I want to be the mother or the motheree? Whose day is it really?

SPECIAL FROM BetterAfter50 I’m married –- going on 21 years in fact –- but have a crush on my cute, younger-than-me-still-has-hair allergist....

If age is indeed a number, where do Americans draw the line between middle-aged and elderly? To people age 45 and younger, the line of demarcation...

As boomers reach retirement age, the “Golden Years” have steadily lost their sheen, and the outlook looks bleakest for middle-aged divorcees. A ne...

If anyone were looking for evidence that in the 21st century we are just as snobbish as ever we have been, then you only have to look at the acronyms ...

This week's webisode of "Money & Happiness" with Laura Rowley focuses on a big challenge for parents: how to pay for college and save for retirement s...