Eight Great Things About the Empty Nest (And How to Embrace it)

woman wearing brown turtleneck sweater and pants sitting on the ground by a brick wall

My husband has a motto for the empty nest season of life. He says, “We can do what we want, when we want, for as long as we want!” While those sentiments might not always ring entirely true, there are some wonderful things I’ve discovered about the empty nest season of life.

1. Your Schedule Isn’t Tied to a School Schedule.

This makes everything more convenient. It leaves room for flexibility, spontaneity, and even more affordable off-season travel. You don’t need to vacation when everyone else vacations. You don’t have after-school extra-curricular activities to attend. Having an empty nest simply makes everything more convenient. It leaves room in your schedule for flexibility, spontaneity, and affordable off-season travel!

2. The House Stays Clean.

When our nest emptied, we immediately called the painters, carpet cleaners, and floor refinishers to undo the years of damage our kids had inflicted on our home! Now, we feel like we live in a new house! As an empty nester, when you put something away, it stays there. When you clean something, it stays clean. It’s magical!

3. The Pace is Slower.

Active and engaged high school kids walk, talk, and eat fast. When our kids left, we realized we had been frantically trying to match their pace! Now we enjoy lingering over meals and talking at length about our days during after-dinner walks in the neighborhood.

4. The Quiet is Refreshing.

Before the empty nest, many people dread the quiet that comes when kids no longer live at home. Surprisingly, most people eventually come to cherish the peace and quiet. After all, it’s difficult to think when you’re busy talking, answering questions, or helping someone with something. In the quiet of the empty nest, I’ve rediscovered my love for music, gardening, and reading. Simply put, I can hear myself think.

5. There is Privacy.

In the empty nest, if you’re naked and you need something from the kitchen, you just go and get it. 😂 Oh, wonder of wonders! Also, no one will interrupt your bubble bath with requests for two dozen cupcakes to take to school at 8 a.m. the next morning. 🙌

woman wearing boden pink striped sweatshirt with eyelet neck ruffle, jeans, and sole bliss pink star sneakers

6. You Can Be Proactive.

After years of being responsive to your kids (which, let’s be honest, usually meant putting your kids’ needs first and yours last), you can be proactive and give yourself permission to put what you want first for a change. If you’re like most empty nesters, this will not come easily at first. I found that one of the greatest adjustments in this season of life was giving myself (guilt-free!) permission to focus on some of the areas of life that I had set aside while busy in the child-rearing years. Putting myself first took some getting used to and felt awkward for a while. This is normal! Expect it to be a process.

7. No Explanation Necessary.

In the empty nest, no one will monitor your coming and goings. No one needs to know where you are going, what you’re doing, and who is doing it with you! When my kids lived at home, they routinely texted me (sometimes from right upstairs in their bedrooms!) things like, “Where are you?” and “When’s dinner?” Now, I decide where I am and when dinner is, all by myself!

woman wearing heart pajamas and sitting in her bed

8. You Can Wear Your Jammies All Day if You Want.

If you’re an empty nester and you work from home, go ahead and wear whatever you want. Yes, even your pajamas! If you don’t work from home, feel free to throw on your jammies as soon as you walk through the door at the end of the day. You’ll be amazed at how self-indulgent this feels! Since I work from home, sometimes I go all day without seeing anyone until my husband comes home from the office. That means I can stay in my jammies, workout clothes, or leggings all day if I want.

If you’re struggling to get used to the empty nest, or if you see it looming, know that , just like any other season of life, the empty nest years come with joys and challenges. It’s an adjustment, to be sure, and you need to give yourself time to settle into this significant time of transition. Although many people dread its arrival, there are good things that come along with life as an empty nester!

Want to read more?

You might want to try making a list of what you’ve enjoyed about the empty nest to remind yourself of the blessings that come along with this season of life. I hope I got you started! Let me know what you love (or are looking forward to) in the empty nest in the comments below, okay?