Are Your Kids Back Home?

So you followed all the rules. You got married. You had your babies. You went to play group. You sat at tiny picnic tables helping your kids sell lemonade. You baked a million cupcakes. You joined the PTA. You sat through endless school sporting events. You were queen of the carpool and served on a gazillion school committees. You went camping with your little Boy and Girl Scouts even though you hate camping. You worked hard and you scraped and saved to put them through college. Finally they were off and your life could begin! Things were going great. Except four (or five) years later your kids were back.

You're not stupid, you knew your kids were staying out late (or all night) when they were at college. You knew they were doing all sorts of things of which you would not approve. But you didn't really know so you slept soundly. Now they're back. Now you find yourself up half the night again listening for that car door to slam. You're actually meeting the people with whom they are hanging out and you don't like them.

Your house, which was so neat and so peaceful for the last few years is again turned upside down. You are constantly having to pick up after people who, for all intents and purposes, are adults, albeit young ones. You can't find anything because things are no longer where you left them. How long, you wonder, is this going to last? What happened to all those plans you made for the time when your kids were gone? Are you ever going to get to do them?

Are your birdies back in the nest? How are you dealing with it? Are you picking up after them, doing their laundry and cooking their dinner? Or are you charging them rent and forcing them to fend for themselves? Have you made some rules or are you letting things ride? My son will graduate from college in May. Since I sold my house and am living the life of a nomad this is not a problem I anticipate having but I'm curious how other people are dealing with it.

In the interest of full disclosure I have to admit that, as a little birdie, I came back back to the nest for a time and while I like to think that my parents were thrilled beyond measure to be graced with my company, I now suspect that was not entirely true!