Empty Nester Life

Winter break was the first time I got to see my parents’ “empty nester” lifestyle. The moment I left for college the for sale sign was put in the yard of our bungalow. They promptly moved to a lovely house in a near lake community. I always knew they would move because that is a common activity for empty nesters and Lynches just in general. But what came to follow was not what I expected from my newly freed parents.

Turns out we bought the old party house on the block. I mean we should have seen it coming. If the six tvs were not a sign then the Tiki bar in the garage should have given it away. My dad has decided to uphold the standard and keep the tradition going but I am not sure if my mom is fully on board. My dad keeps saying things like “What can we cook for all of our dinner parties? I want something that can be easy for you to cook” to my mom. Whenever someone would be brought up in a conversation my dad would promptly say we should invite them over. They have turned into quite the social butterflies. They seem to know so many more people where we live. It may be due to the fact that the town is smaller, but everywhere we went there was a familiar face. Well unless you are my mom who suffers from self-diagnosed face blindness. In her case usually they came up to her and she would use her deductive skills to find out how she knew them. My mom has attended the neighborhood gatherings and is a frequent reader of the neighborhood Facebook page. She keeps us updated on all the urgent news in our new area. For example, when someone doesn’t pick up their dog poop, sees a coyote, or if someone accidentally takes the wrong, but similar jacket from a neighborhood women’s meeting. The last one was helpful because it turned out the culprit was my mom. Don’t worry the coats were switched with only the whole neighborhood knowing. It is nice to know that I am not the only one who is trying to find friends and get involved in a new community. We also have the same result. My mom and I find a way to meet some people and always end the night in an awkward but funny event.

While I was home, I mistakenly fell asleep on the couch and my parents ended up choosing a movie without my supervision. I woke up to the song “Never Say Never” playing and two new “beliebers”. My dad is now a huge fan of Justin Bieber and understands the hardships he had to go through at such a young age. According to my dad he is a hard worker and a caring artist, this inference is based off his viewing of his documentary of course. My mom felt a connection with Mama Bieber. She now fully understands the line “my mama don’t like you and she likes everyone” in Justin’s song, “Love Yourself” because she believes his “mama truly does like everyone”.

North Carolina was below freezing for a few days over the holidays, conveniently the same days our heating system was broken. But this was no hardship for the Lynchos. My dad decided to wear hats and layers. My mom chose to constantly wear fuzzy socks and be wrapped in a blanket. The empty nesters survived. My dad even thinks his gear helped him win in family games because his “brain was kept warm” due to his “thinking cap”.

Here is my dad before the heating system was fixed…

And after the heating system was fixed…

My parents are enjoying their time without kids but are very eager to have grandkids. Although they constantly remind me that even though they are excited to begin that chapter in their life, that time is NOT NOW. They gifted each other with kayaks for Christmas and got a storage place for the boat. They hope the new community and lake life will cause my brothers and me to visit more and create a fun place for grandkids to eventually visit. I am very excited to be back home for the summer and many more times after that but I hope they know that the new place has perks but what brings us kids home is them. It is those two social beliebers that make the place a home even if there is no heat.

The bird away from home,

Erin