Life is so funny…and fleeting. If you go the traditional route, you may get married, have kids, then turn around and blink…and they are 18…and ready to move out. But…but…but…I’m not ready! We still have things to do and I haven’t taught you everything yet…DON’T GO!!! Does this sound familiar?

Seriously, I find this time to be one of such mixed emotion.  My son just started at Acadia University, about an hour and twenty minutes away, which is perfect to go up and visit occasionally or for him to come home for a weekend. My daughter moved out 2 years ago when she was 18 and went to school, so I knew a bit of what to expect. What is harder to get used to,  is the changing dynamic of our household.

We had 3 kids and now we are down to only one living at home full-time. Not only did we have 3 kids, but we also occasionally had hockey billets and international students living with us. Between our kids, extra kids living here, girlfriends, friends, etc, we have had a busy, bustling, house for as long as I can remember. I loved it. We all loved it.

My youngest daughter, who is 5 years younger than her twin siblings, is 15 and started high school this year. She has always been around her siblings and their friends. She REALLY loved our busy house. It was fun and noisy and always someone to hang out with…if they let her. 😉 It’s been a big adjustment for her to get used to being the only kid left at home. It’s hard…and lonely. We just got her back to school 2 days ago, so a routine will be good and we are all getting used to our new family dynamic.

The One Thing You Need To Do After Dropping Your Kid Off at University

I knew last week, when we were getting ready for “Move-In Day”, and Grace and I were both struggling to keep our emotions in check, that we needed a plan. So, what is the one thing you need to do after dropping your kid off at University? Make a plan for the next day! Not on move-in day….that day is exhausting and overwhelming. By the time we got home, I needed a nice long lay-down/no one bother me for 2 hours…sort of nap. A few days before however, I sent out an email invitation to our family and a few friends and invited them to “Save Us Sunday”. 😉

My invitation stated that I didn’t have the time or energy to put on a big spread, but I would have chips, fruit, hot dogs to roast for supper and all the fixings . Come anytime after 1:00pm. Entertaining should not be hard. Everyone came and brought stuff and we honestly had the best time. The last people left at midnight. It filled up our day..and night.  LOL!

I can’t tell you how glad I am that I thought ahead to make a plan for the day after dropping him off. We are so excited for our son and know that he is ready and going to love his University years, but it’s still hard to see him go and not have his presence here in our house every day. Without our friends and family here, I suspect there would have been a lot of mopping and moaning about how quiet everything is. Instead we got up, had a nice slow morning , then got to work getting ready for our afternoon. It was perfect…and fun!

I highly recommend that you make a plan for the day after your son or daughter moves out. You will need a distraction. It doesn’t have to be a party with a bunch of people. It could be a day-trip somewhere or a hike at one of your favourite spots. You could even plan your own little getaway. You don’t want to wake up the next day, without a plan, and just a whole lot of quiet. Keep busy. It helps. 🙂

Kids moving out is HARD!  Do you have your own idea about the one thing you need to do after dropping your kid off at university? Did you make a plan after dropping them off at university/first apartment/basic training? What sort of things helped you adjust to them being gone? Share in the comments,…it might help someone else going through the same thing.