Refeathering the Empty Nest: Life After the Children Leave - Softcover

Offering a fascinating and revealing study of a later-in-life stage of life, Aronsson uses wit and insight to describe her notion of "The Shift." I predict mass enjoyment of this clever and irreverent look at what happens to moms and dads when the kids leave home. -- Carin Rubenstein, PhD, professor of psychology at Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ and author of Beyond the Mommy Years (2007) Refeathering the Empty Nest is a terrific read that offers parents a new way of thinking and being after their last child leaves home. Aronsson's suggestions for navigating this life transition are touching, effective, practical, and empowering. -- Guy Winch, PhD, author of Emotional First Aid This book is a must for anyone wanting to understand the common feelings and challenges facing parents and their young adult children. Refeathering the Empty Nest provides excellent tips for enhancing the coping skills needed for building emotional resilience and self-confidence. While there are many books explaining the developmental milestones of self-development throughout adolescence, there are few resources directed toward the modern day challenges to both young adults and their parents. This book fills the gap and points parents in the right direction. -- Jane Shure, PhD, LCSW, psychotherapist, leadership coach, motivational speaker, and co-author of Inside/Outside Self-Discovery for Teens and Effective Clinical Practice in the Treatment of Eating Disorders

The shift from daily parenting and a “full nest” to an empty nest can be a startling one. Many don't know what to do with themselves when the job of full-time parenting becomes a part-time one, or one managed from a distance. The transitions from full house to empty house, to half-full house to empty house again can create a cycle of ups and downs that can be difficult to manage. This book shows how to manage that period of time when children are preparing to leave the family home, either temporarily or permanently, and how to move forward in a healthy, even rewarding way. Using real stories, the author shows how this time can be difficult but also rewarding, challenging, and exciting. Anyone whose children are nearing an age or time when they will be leaving the home, potentially for good, will want to read this book about how best to face those changes.