My husband and I would break out sobbing when we first became empty nesters. We found joy together.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Grandma with grandkids
The author says being an empty nester is not what she expected.

Courtesy of the author

I still book doctor appointments and send groceries to my 20-something sons, but I'm trying to redefine my relationship with them

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Close Up Of a Mother Helping Her Son Getting Ready For work

kankarash_tara/Getty Images

I've lived and worked in 5 countries. After becoming an empty nester, I built my dream retirement in a new city.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
A woman posing with the veiw of the ocean.
Jessica Khine lives in Penang, Malaysia as an empty nester.

Jessica Khine.

Two Gen X empty-nest couples are 'rightsizing' in a development focused on community

Tech Insider : Business
Stephanie Falk (left) and Judy Cooperman.
Stephanie Falk (left) and Judy Cooperman.

Courtesy of Stephanie Falk and Judy Cooperman

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.

Tech Insider : Business
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.

FreshSplash/Getty Images

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.'

Tech Insider
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

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