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| Bright Hopes Quilt Block |
This is the last week the Quilters' Book Club will be reading and discussing The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs. In October, our selection is State Fair: a Benni Harper Mystery by Earlene Fowler. It's set in California. Get the book now from your local library and join us!
In The Goodbye Quilt, main character Linda Davis is driving with her daughter Molly from their home in Wyoming to Molly's new school back East. Molly will be starting her new life as a college student far from her family and boyfriend. Linda will be starting a new life as an empty nester since Molly is her only child.
If you'd like to create a quilt block to represent a new life for both mother and daughter, clink on the block names to take you to the free patterns:
Star of Hope Quilt Block
Bright Hopes Quilt Block
Quilt Blocks of Sewing Notions (to represent Pins and Needles Quilt Store)
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| Another Bright Hopes Quilt Block |
By commenting, you are entering you name in a give-away for a copy of The Double Wedding Ring by Clare O'Donohue, courtesy of Plume Books. There will be two lucky winners this month!
You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. And don't forget to grab a copy of State Fair: a Benni Harper Mystery by Earlene Fowler so you can join us in October!
I think parents are busy preparing for the next part of their kids lives, so that they don't often take time to think about the next part of their own lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the right person to ask. I moved back home three times.
ReplyDeleteI have no answers to the questions because I am not the kind of parent that made my child my entire life like Linda did. I too only have one child. But, I never made my world only revolve around my child. When my child went off to college I never thought well..that's it..he's gone now..oh no..what will I ever do. I don't understand that mentality that some folks have. I truly felt sorry for Linda's husband. The way the book read it seemed like Linda put her husband on a shelf for the time period her child was growing up and now she does not know how to take him off the shelf and play with him again. I have known a few people like this in real life and I just shake my head. I don't get it. So maybe the answer is that I think people choose to do this to themselves?????
ReplyDeleteI never seem to be an empty nester. We have had foster kids and kids on loan. Sometimes we play musical beds... something like taking in stray cats. Sometimes they think it is their duty to "take care of us". I love my kids and the way they have come and gone over the years. If ever one had to come back, we would find room. Of course, they are all pretty low maintenance..
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that you really can prepare for being an empty nester. We found it a large adjustment as our son moved to the other side of the country- he and his girl are getting married in February and we are happy for them but it is a long way to be from home. The nest did feel quite empty ...
ReplyDeleteI can't answer these questions based on what I think most people do. My own situation involved major changes when my youngest was leaving home. We were selling the home we raised our children in & moving to a new city while at the same time moving our youngest to an apartment in preparation for her first year of college. My daughter's senior year of high school was such a busy time for us that I really didn't plan in advance for life after her graduation. I was always very involved in my children's activities so I missed all of that but our move began a new phase that was vey exciting. We had children very quickly in our marriage so we always knew the things we didn't do before children came would be done after they left the nest. I didn't view the book as Linda "putting her husband on a shelf" while she raised her daughter. I assumed they were busy raising their daughter together & were focused on the busy life of those activities. After their daughter left home began the new phase of focusing on life together which can be a new an exciting time for a marriage even though you can be sad for the passing of your former life. I do believe it takes most people a little time to get their balance as they establish this new phase of their life.
ReplyDeleteMy situation was similar to this book because we had one child, a daughter. For us, the difference was that we were like the "three musketeers" in a way. My husband and I were definitely the parents, always making decisions together when necessary but our daughter was always included in the reasoning behind the decisions. When she left, of course there were adjustments...for all of us!! I don't think any of us can really prepare for changes like this. We all had our responsibilities and stayed as connected as we could; still do. I think the characters in The Goodbye Quilt would do the same.
ReplyDeleteWe had empty nest for a year, then both boys moved back home. One is gone again, the other will be here a while. It was strange to not have either one at home. I think I prepared for it better than hubby. He didn't even think about it until it had happened (earlier than he'd planned, too). He didn't have a hiking, biking or camping buddy anymore. Now we are trying to prepare ourselves for one to possibly move to Alaska in January. We won't get to see him at all.
ReplyDeleteOur youngest child, a son, moved out of home. I was lost for a short time. Not having to consider him for dinner, worry about the laundry or us going away and having to make sure there was food in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteThen he moved back in the middle of a Friday night.
We were so happy.
Unfortunately he didn't make it home from work on the following Monday. He was gone forever. I didn't have my baby any more.
You cannot plan the time you will no longer have your children around. So don't get hung up on the fact they have moved on. Enjoy it with them.