Empty Nest: Who Are You When Your Kids Move Out? You know it's coming but it can still hit hard. Empty nest. It's like the end of a marathon of chasing schoolwork, soccer practice, teenagers, bedrooms overflowing with dirty dishes. You've crossed the finish line and now what? Celebrate? Collapse with fatigue? Who are you now that the kids have moved out? You can prepare all you want but you never really know how it will hit you. When we dropped our son off at college, I thoug

Dropping your kid off at college or moving them into their first apartment can feel like losing the glue that held your family together. After that final hug goodbye, you get in the car and face a silence that feels different from other silences. A question settles in before you've even left the parking lot: who is this person sitting next to me? It's a disorienting moment. And a surprisingly common one. The empty nest tends to arrive with two feelings at once. Pride and hope

Photo: Andrew Southam Your partner is your best friend. You love doing everything together, except have sex. What happened? You're asking yourself: are we a couple or roommates? At first it was great to both work from home. There was a possibility of having sex anytime, but that ended up feeling too distracting during the workday. Over time your shared interests seemed to take the place of sex. Cooking together became your intimacy. Going for runs together became your connect