Find a Way Through Homesickness and Empty Nesting
Parent-to-Parent E/4:29
This month, we have experienced testing in ways that we may or may not have felt prepared or thought we were able to endure. These are the times to hold tightly to the promises in Scripture. When we trust in Him for what He can see but we cannot, our strength and hope are renewed (Isaiah 40:31) and we are able to keep on keeping on (Galatians 6:9-10; 1 Corinthians 9:24). Parent-to-parent, homesickness is a real thing and not just for your student missing what is familiar and comforting! We deal with the pangs from missing them, too! Don’t resolve to simply survive it. Hear from LU Family who have been there and how they lived through it!
Helping Your Students Through Their Homesickness
Being homesick may not happen when you think. It isn’t always right at first. For us it was a few weeks in. We were 18 hours away, so a weekend visit wasn’t an option. The thing that really stood out for her in helping was the file box I made with special notes. So much so she used them for 2 years. She kept them by her bed.
I got a pretty file box, lots of pretty colored note cards, stickers, smiley faces and a few packs of pre printed verses with pretty backgrounds. On Pinterest, I found a chart that gives verses for all kinds of topics. I would write the verse and add a few personal sentences. On each envelope after I sealed it, I put on the front “Open When” and add whatever the topic was. “Open When” you are homesick. Other topics I used were: sad, stressed, anxious, had a bad day, worried, lonely, overwhelmed, have a big test, happy, had a great day. Just about any topic you can think of. You can also get a few $5 gift cards to Starbucks or somewhere else to slip in some of the notes.
For the topic “when you feel bad,” I included a list of things to remember like stay hydrated, get enough sleep, get some sunshine, and take a walk. For Halloween, fall, before Christmas break, Easter, etc. I would use themed stickers. It took all summer to do, and that box was so full! I was so emotional. I cried the whole time I was writing them! She didn’t know about them until we put her room together. Definitely a labor of love, Wanda B., Graduate.
It’s the First Days of Empty Nesting!
We’re already one month into a new semester, and new school year! Most of us have started figuring out our new normal without our kids in the house by this point and might even be struggling to wait to get a call or text from them. We homeschooled, and I was extra used to having my girls around, so when they first left for school I moped around the house for a while. But finally, I had to make a point of looking for things that we had always said we wanted do when we had more free time to get us out of the funk of missing them.
We took a couple of weekend trips, but probably most significantly, another couple in a similar stage of life suggested we start going out once a week for dinner together. Looking forward to this one little activity every week really took the edge off the beginnings of empty-nesting (yes, our conversations usually still center around our kids!). It can be hard to watch friends that still have their kids close while you are missing yours, so make a point of finding another parent or couple that’s going through the same thing. It’s a simple thing that can be so significant to our mindset! Ann S., Graduate.
Blessings and grace to all you hear.
Parent-to-Parent E/4:29’s contributing authors are parents of students that are currently enrolled in undergraduate degree programs or have recently graduated and are continuing their higher education in a graduate degree program at Liberty. Each month of the blog, Parent-to-Parent E/4:29 will offer practical tips, helpful guidance, and encouraging wisdom that they may serve you “only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (as in, Ephesians 4:29).
If you are interested in sharing your insights and tips with fellow parents, email your name and student’s ID to LUFamily@liberty.edu today!