He’s leaving home
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MummyBloggers
I’ve been crying quite a lot lately. Given the weather we’ve been having, that’s probably quite understandable, but I don’t think it’s just because it’s cold enough to bring hot-water bottles to bed. And please don’t mention the menopause or the perimenopause, or anything with the word ‘pause’ in the title: I’m way, way too young for that…
No, the primary reason for my recent blubbering is the onset of Emptier Nest Syndrome. The Leaving Certer is starting college in Galway on August 31st and already the house is starting to fill with echoes. He’s bouncing around as if he had marshmallows in his soles, ready to fly away at the earliest opportunity, while I’m running out of excuses for my suspiciously red eyes.
We nabbed several milliseconds of sunshine today and went to the beach, where he flung his sister around and got far too competitive with his brother trying to hit a rock with pebbles, so it felt like old times when the three of them were like puppies milling around my legs. Back then it was all “Don’t fall in the water!” “Don’t get lost in the dunes!” “Don’t pat that rabid-looking dog!” and now it’s me that needs the warnings to avoid drifting off into Sad Mammy Land.
So I’ve drafted my own set of “Don’t” rules to keep a shred of sanity while he heads off to Really Big School:
- Don’t think about the fact that his student accommodation has a double bed. (Remember he is 6’3”—he needs the extra space).
- Don’t wonder why you’ve bought him two sets of bed linen (even though you know he’ll keep the same set on the bed for the entire term).
- Ditto the spare towels you have bought.
- Don’t worry that he won’t make friends/go to lectures/eat properly/heed your advice about sensible drinking.
- Don’t hassle him about coming home at the weekend.
- Don’t smother him when he does come home at the weekend.
- Don’t forget that you have two younger children who are only dying to take over his room.
- Don’t stop stockpiling tissues, eye drops, and waterproof mascara. You may need them for a while yet...
Aoife O'Carroll is a separated mum living in Co Kerry with her two boys aged 17 and 14, and a girl aged 10.
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