First, congratulations on this accomplishment. You have raised your kids to work hard, ask questions, be respectful, try new things, find solutions, and succeed. Your parenting (no matter how much the kids are given credit) has made them the promising young adults they are today. We thank you for your endless love and support, whether it’s helping us with a math problem, cooking us dinner when we have a late practice, or attending our showcases, no matter the inconvenience to you. For that, we can never repay you.

Now we are moving into dorms or apartments to start our next chapter away from home. We may be twenty minutes away from home or twenty hours; nevertheless, we are not under your roof anymore. Now I know this either sounds scary, or relieving, or even both. We definitely know this is a change from our last few years together, but we are all excited for the future (or so we hope).

My parents have been talking a lot about what they’re going to do with their life now that both kids are leaving the house; I am going to college while my brother is moving into a residential high school at the age of fifteen. I left for that same high school at the same age, so my parents are kind of used to me being gone; but now they won’t have to cook for three or four anymore, just the two of them. Here we introduce the first benefit of having an empty nest; you don’t have to spend as much money on cooking. This might open up the budget for more dinner dates, or you could save more for upcoming bills. Also, not as many dishes are used, so that saves water and hence, money.

Furthermore, your kids are doing laundry elsewhere (unless it isn’t free- then they might come home on the weekends). Now, you don’t have to wash and dry as frequently; after all, your children probably have more dirty laundry in one load than you have in two weeks’ worth of dirty clothes. Again, less washing means smaller water bills.

In addition, now that you don’t have to cart your children to and from school and extracurricular activities, gas money is also saved. Plus, this gives you more time to do other things, whether it's shopping, catching up with friends, or just finishing up housework or other projects. After all, kids do require lots of time and attention.

I’ll cut to the chase on these other pros. Fewer showers and baths mean more water is being conserved. Watching less TV (unless you’re a Law and Order person like I am) and charging fewer electronics could cut bills in half. Less office supplies are used at the house now that your kids have access to paper, pencils, computers and printers at school, so that saves you some money, too. Not saying that all of these financial cutbacks will pay for your children’s education, but anything helps, right?

On the other hand, there are a few cons of having an empty nest. First, your kids are probably some of the most energetic people in your life, and you love spending time with them (or you’re very good at acting). Now that they’re gone, it is going to be a lot quieter, which is good at times, but other times it might make you lonely. Visiting your student at college might not be easy if they’re hundreds of miles away, so you won’t see them as often either, which is hard after living with them for so long. Also, who is going to help with the chores now? At my house, we have plants to water and animals to care for. Dad usually has horse duty and runs errands in town, while Zachary and I water plants and care for the indoor dogs and cats. Now while mom is at work, dad will have more to do chore-wise, which will keep him moving at least; however, now he cannot blame us when the dishes aren’t done or the litter boxes aren’t cleaned. We’re all used to getting things done as a team, but now Zachary and I will be focusing on our education while our parents are working and maintaining the house. All of this is important though; once the kids graduate and get jobs, they are no longer a financial burden for the parents, and children are more expensive than children think. When the kids own a house and go to work every day, they might settle down, have a family of their own, and the cycle will begin again.

To all the parents out there- this might be a crazy transition for both you and your kids, but it is a huge milestone, and there’s always some good in change.