It isn't that we don't love our children or wanted them to leave before they graduated from high school. (Although there were times during their terrible twos and pre-teen years when I was tempted.) But empty-nesting has always been our long-term goal.
My parents raised their children to follow Christ, but their secondary goal was to make us independent of everyone except God. That's what Roland and I want for our children, too, and we worked toward those goals from the beginning.
There were times when I wondered if we were too successful in reaching the second goal. Caroline was six or seven when she went to camp for the first time, and the weekend wasn't long enough for her. When I arrived to pick her up, she didn't want to leave. I didn't know whether to be hurt that my daughter didn't need me or to rejoice that she was learning to be independent.
(Apparently Caroline knew best. She returned to Camp Lutherhaven year after year and met her husband while they were both counselors there.)
John is different. Although he went to camp and on youth trips, he was less adventuresome than Caroline. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when he returned home, but that wasn't our goal.
So Roland and I were happy when John joined the Navy. Maybe this time it will stick.
Because we really want to be empty nesters.
1 comment:
Great post.
This is the first summer for us that no kids are home.
Our son is doing an internship in Indy this summer, and is living with my daughter down there. He was home from college for about two weeks before he left.
We love them...but it's been real nice and quiet.
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