Melissa Noble, a 41-year-old mom of three in Australia, knows her mother once struggled with empty-nest syndrome. Now that she has kids of her own, she understands it. She already dreads the day her children leave, and admits to crying about it to her husband, who reminded her that their youngest is only four.
The Rare Joy of Having Your Parents All to Yourselves
Time with just her parents and siblings is rare. Now that everyone has families, careers and mortgages, gatherings are chaotic, with tantrums, hunger complaints and conversations that keep stopping and starting.
Her epiphany came in Bali, at her sister’s 50th birthday. The original six of them, her parents and the four siblings, went out to dinner.
They swapped childhood stories, talked about getting older and shared what makes them happy. There were tears and plenty of laughter. Afterwards she realised how much she had missed the people who knew her before she had a husband, children or a career.
Since then she has organised regular catch-ups with the original clan only, with no partners or kids invited. Her sister lives in Africa, so it takes effort, but the reminiscing, laughter, inappropriate jokes and occasional arguments are worth it.
For her parents, now in their 70s and 80s, those hours are golden. No matter how old they get, she says, they will always be their parents’ kids.
