If the kids want to leave at some point, this means you raised them right

The rooms are empty and the sheets do not need changing because they are unused and clean. The washing machine is not full of clothes every day and the food is enough for tomorrow.

You remember the times when you were longing for some quiet time to calm down and talk on the phone. Now, in the mornings, it is so quiet that it makes you talk to yourself. Across the street lives a family with twins and their dad tries in vain to convince them to get ready for school. They fight each other and then team up to confront their dad’s yelling. You go near the door and put your ear on it to listen in.

You look around and everything is in order, so there’s nothing else to do to keep you busy. If I had time I would read books, go on trips, exercise, go for walks, learn another foreign language, you’ve been complaining all your life. But you didn’t catch up because you only had time for your children.

You raised them correctly, because you showed them acceptance and helped them build a healthy self-esteem. Your behavior filled them with confidence so they could spread their wings and fly away from you. You showed them the way to their dreams and filled them with supplies to live happily or at least to try to live happily. You taught them to respect their loved ones and express their feelings. You hugged them, at the first opportunity, from the day they were born and you created loving people, that our society needs so much. You taught them to defend the weak and admire the courageous. You explained to them that in order to stand up in life, they have to step on their own feet!

But you forgot to do the same for yourself, just like your own mother had forgotten to do for herself. Do you remember arguing with her and accusing her of living through your life? Do you remember telling her that she forgot to empower herself so she could live on her own and thrive? Do you remember pushing her to find a way to be happy in her marriage?

Years pass and life changes and leads us on new paths. Open the window to your new life, look at your beloved partner and remember how beautiful it used to be when you two were together. Don’t let the storms of everyday life and age drag you down. Children leave because they know inside that their family is strong and will be there for them, and when children want to leave, it means you raised them greatly. That is why they will always come back!