The Empty Nest
by Mia Cronan
MainStreetMom.com

With the advancing age of the Baby Boomers, more and more parents are facing the "empty nest" syndrome. 

Well, as it turns out, I am, too. My children are only four, three, and one, but our nest is empty. 

Early this spring, a mother bird came and built a nest in one of the hanging baskets on my front porch. I went out and, irritated that the bird would do that to my brand new $12.99 basket of wave petunias, I took a stick and dumped the nest out into the bushes. Feeling a bit guilty about this, I went back into the house and called my dad. He's a perfectionist and able to rig the most amazing high-tech solutions out of things like duct tape, beer can tabs, paper clips, and plastic milk jugs. And being a dad who likes to putz around the house and tweak everything little thing into perfection, he'd be the perfect candidate for determining how to prevent Mother Bird from building again. However, his reply was, "Hey, that's nature! Just be patient and wait till the babies fly away, then dump the nest." 

My reply? "But my wave petunias are nature, too!" After thinking about it, I knew he was right, so I let her rebuild. And perhaps it was my imagination, or my guilt, but whenever I went to the front door to check her progress, I'm pretty sure I could hear her grumbling about the extra labor I caused her.

A couple days went by and I noticed one, then two, then later three, and the next day four beautiful blue eggs in the basket. I held each of my girls up to see, and the looks on their faces were enough to tell me that Grandpa was right. 

Weeks went by, the eggs hatched, and there sat the ugliest four creatures on whom I'd ever laid eyes. Once again, I held up each of my girls and watched their faces turn from excited anticipation to horror as they saw the scrawny things with bulging eyes and wide-open mouths. Naturally, the birds turned cuter as they aged and fattened up. 

The morning that we were due to leave for Siesta Key for eight days, I was packing furiously. But each time I walked by the front door to head up the stairs, I stopped to peek at our progress. The babies were testing out their wings. One even stepped out onto the side of the nest and flapped explosively. I knew they were close.

The car was packed, and we checked one more time before final potty runs and baggage check. The babies were still there, getting those little wings ready, all four of them.

After being away for a total of eleven days including travel time, we came home to an empty nest. I knew they'd be gone, but I was surprised by the sadness I felt at seeing the lonely nest in the basket. It really made me think. I looked at my girls, and I remembered that they'll be doing the same thing one day, and every day that I have any kind of influence on them at all must be looked upon as an opportunity to help them strengthen their wings, as bittersweet as it'll be to watch the girls use them. I just hope that I have the natural maternal instincts that Mother Bird has, to build and rebuild in the face of anything that gets in the way of natural and healthy progress.

And, of course, Dad was right. "Hey, that's nature!"

Related Articles:

Bed Bugs
When my first son was born I dutifully jumped on the independent sleep bandwagon. Night after night, I sat awake in a rocking chair, crying and begging my son to stay asleep.

The Importance of the Father/Child Bond
To this day, spending time with my kids continues to be one of my favorite activities. To not spend time with my children is unfathomable.

A Mother's Perspective: Germ Warfare!
A humorous yet informative article on the spreading of germs and illnesses between young children. Includes personal experiences as well as advice from a Board Certified Pediatrician.

Hey, Who’s the Boss, Here?
We’ve all been in situations with our children when, out in public, we just want to crawl into a big hole in the ground, never to be seen again, right?

In The Blink of an Eye
I am the mother of a licensed driver. These are truly frightening words.

To Clean Or Not To Clean (Your Child's Room)
Whether or not to help your child clean their room. It's an age old dilemma.