It can be emotional when children leave home to start life on their own. Parents are often saddened by the new arrangement but can also relish returning to life as they lived before children. Host Don Marsh talks with guests this hour about coping with the empty nest.
We’ll also discuss what happens when kids boomerang back into the household for an extended stay.
Our guests include:
- Rebecca Olson, an empty nester who is President/CEO of the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill Area Chamber of Commerce
- Ronald Scott, Psychologist; Consultant, Care and Counseling
- Ehiamen (Ehi) Okoruwa, Faculty Initiatives Intern at the Office of Residential Life at Washington University, former resident assistant at Washington University
[Show Highlights]
On empty nesting...
Guest Rebecca Olson commented, “All of the sudden it was me, myself, and I; and the dog, who wasn’t a very good conversationalist.” Further, “But once I got used to it I was unleashed. I got to do a lot of the things I put on the back burner while I was a single mom.”
On college...
Psychologist Ronald Scott said, “A child in college is not necessarily the same thing as a child who has left the nest. It can just be your child who happens to be in college.”
On leaving the nest...
Recent graduate and former Omaha, Nebraska resident Ehi Okoruwa said, “I was really excited. Nebraska is awesome but St. Louis is a lot better. It’s nice to be able to make your own schedule and go out and see the town, it’s things you can’t really do in Omaha. So, I was really excited to be away for a little bit.”
