- Kelly Luttinen
Becoming an Empty-Nester: As Ivonne Luz Ream shares her story, I feel her joy and her pain
On March 30, 2019, my daughter Megan moved out of the house. Though she is not the first to leave (miss you Sarah!) and I have two children away at college who occasionally return home, Megan was the last really living in our house. The next day, I saw this article by Ivonne Luz Ream on Aleteia, and it spoke to my heart. It is reprinted here with permission. Read the original article here.
The bittersweet joy of seeing your children grow up
by Ivonne Luz Ream
We want them to become independent adults,
but ... we still miss their childhood!
You will teach them to fly, but they will not fly your flight. You will teach them to dream, but they will not dream your dream. You will teach them to live, but they will not live your life. Nevertheless, in every flight, in every life, in every dream,
the print of the way you taught will always remain. – Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Seeing your children grow is bittersweet. How hard it is for me to see my children leave their childhood behind! It fills me with nostalgia.
I remember as if it were yesterday what it was like when it was their bedtime, and they’d say to me, “Mommy, will you put me to sleep? Can you stay with me a while until I fall asleep?”
They used to ask me that question for years.
From the distance, I always heard their father’s voice saying, “What do you mean, ‘put me to sleep’? You’re already big enough to go to sleep on your own.” Invariably, my answer was, “Let me enjoy these moments when they still want me to be with them. The day will come when they’ll throw me out of their bedroom!”
And that’s what happened. For years, my husband and I took turns at night to be with each one of our children, until one day, they stopped “needing us.” Practically without our realizing it, our children grew up.
Read more here.