The empty nesters wish our readers and listeners a very happy and healthy 2011. We are excited about the opportunities and possibilities a new year brings and energized by our recent switch to Premium hosts on www.blogtalkradio.com/emptynesters.
If the empty nesters have learned anything during their journey, it is that life never runs smoothly from point A to point B. Surprises, disappointments, and frustrations often appear to make the voyage more complicated and confusing. Nothing could be more certain than uncertainty during the past few weeks of our college student’s winter break.
Juggling different family vacation schedules is never easy. Accommodating conflicting routines often presents a challenge; and our generation of parents never wants any of our offspring to feel left out! Planning a vacation or outing or holiday party can require a spread sheet to figure out when everyone’s schedule actually puts them in the same city at the same time. And even then, life (like snow or delayed/costly airplane travel) can intervene and you know the rest, “the best laid plans…”
The past few weeks were particularly stressful in Jill’s home. Her son went to Israel on Birthright, the free trip available to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18-26. All went so well that he extended his trip a few extra days and was scheduled to come home the day the historic snowstorm closed most airports on the East coast. Suddenly a trip that was supposed to be 10 days suddenly became a 3 week adventure.
What do you do as a parent when your child is over 7,000 miles from home and stranded in a foreign country? You freak out a little (ok, maybe a lot) but then calm down after your son assures you he is absolutely fine and has a warm place to stay with a lovely family who has taken him in. But when you have to deal with an airline, in this case Continental, totally unprepared for the passenger backlog created by the bad weather, your blood pressure rises once more. After watching all the pictures of travelers stranded at airports worldwide, there was valid concern it could be weeks before the trip west would begin. Agita City!!!
The good news is that on New Years Day, after 22 hours in the air, he made it back to Los Angeles, full of stories, experiences, and friendships that will probably stay with him the rest of his life. So a very stressful week finally came to an end. Lessons were learned: young adults are far more resilient than we often give them credit for. As baby boomer parents we can plan til the cows come home but the reality is we control very little. Biggest lesson learned: never fly through the East Coast in the middle of winter if you can avoid it!
Join the empty nesters LIVE at 11Am PT on www.blogtalkradio.com/emptynesters on Wed. Jan 5 for a fascinating chat with Julienne Davis and Maggie Arana, the authors of "Stop Calling Him Honey and Start Having Sex: How Changing Your Every Day Habits Will Make You Hot For Each Other Again, And please remember, if you cannot listen to the LIVE broadcast, you can click on the link to the show 24/7!
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