A half empty nest

Just as I appreciated having my eldest daughter around the house this year, she decided that it is time she flew the coop and moved into a share house with three others.

This is not the first time she has left home. She had four and a half years away in Italy and the United Kingdom, where she resided in several share houses. I am sure that part of her decision to move out is that she was missing the friendship that comes with sharing a house.

When she returned from overseas at the end of last year, she was pretty happy to come home to a familiar environment, particularly with the pandemic ravaging the United Kingdom. And all the family was pleased to have her home.

My wife and I feel a little sad to see her leave, but understand that your children will eventually leave the nest. Unfortunately, it all feels a little too permanent this time around. The only consolation is that she is only a thirty minute drive away.

This is one of those moments when I realise how quickly my daughters have grown. One day you're trying to rid them of the head lice they got at school, and the next, you are living in a half empty nest. However, I do not doubt that she has the maturity, smarts and resilience to make a good fist of life.