We were empty nesters for 6 months. Then our kids started moving back in with us.

Tech Insider : Business
Randy Charach's family
Three of Randy Charach's daughters came back home after leaving him and his wife as empty nesters.

Courtesy of Randy Charach

My son and his family moved in with us. We went from empty nesters to a family of 7.

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Multigenerational family
One of the author's sons moved in with his family.

Courtesy of the author

People always talk about becoming an empty nester, but it's also strange to leave the nest empty

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
The author with her parents.
When the author moved out for university, she realized it her parents' lives would change, too.

Courtesy of Caitlin Tallack

My son moved home because of the high cost of living and a low-paying, entry-level job. I never got to be an empty nester.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Sports
a man holding a moving box
The author's son moved home after college.

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I struggled with loneliness when I became an empty nester. I found new hobbies, got a dog, and started traveling.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Justine Martin standing on a balcony and smiling.
Justine Martin struggled with loneliness when she became an empty nester.

Courtesy of Justine Martin

My biggest parenting mistake was making my kids the center of my world. Women need an identity beyond 'mom.'

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a tired mother holding a baby as her kids run around
The author, not pictured, devoted her life to her kids.

Natalia Lebedinskaia/Getty Images

I worried my husband and I wouldn't last once we became empty-nesters — but we've since discovered how to keep our 24-year marriage strong

Tech Insider : Travel
Felicia Slattery and her husband dining on a cruise ship and smiling
My husband and I try to go on two cruises together a year.

Felicia Slattery

Brooke Shields says dropping a kid off at college and becoming an empty nester is 'not easy for the moms'

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Brooke Shields and her daughter Rowan Francis Henchy at the New York premiere of Apple original film
Brooke Shields dropped her younger daughter, Grier, off at college and is happy that she'll be near her big sister, Rowan. (pictured).

Kena Betancur/ Getty Images

My husband and I are trying to adjust to being empty nesters. These 3 simple tricks help us feel less lost.

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man and woman looking sad at breakfast table
The writer, not pictured, and her husband struggled with their empty nest.

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My son decided to go to a college across the country. I'm already dreading my empty nest, but it's time to let him go.

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a woman hugging a person in graduation gown
The author, not pictured, is dreading her empty nest when her son goes to college.

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