Emptying the Nest

I am both happy and sad that my 22-year-old daughter Alex has officially made my wife and me “empty nesters.”

She’s left before; four years of college at Penn State and a summer of living in New York City but this is different. Sunday I helped her move into an apartment in Hoboken that she’ll be sharing with two of best friends and sorority sisters, Chelsea DiGiacomo and Stef Ruddy (who is from Toms River).

While the three had been planning the move for months everything happened very quickly as they first saw the apartment a couple of weeks ago and only found out this week it was there’s as of November 1st. That did not allow for much preparation but it all came together with a big assist from Chelsea’s father who unlike me is quite handy.

We pretty much did everything yesterday although Alex will be sleeping on an air mattress until her bed is delivered this week. That’s a bit of an inconvenience but a minor one when you consider she has been commuting by bus for the most part to her public relations job in New York City although she spent many nights with friends especially when she had to work late.

All three girls work in the city and Hoboken has clearly become a prime destination for young people who work in New York but don’t want or can’t afford to live there. The city best known as the home of Frank Sinatra, baseball and Stevens Institute of Technology has experienced quite a growth spurt over the last decade and the only thing more difficult than finding an apartment is a parking spot.

Fortunately for Alex’s roommates their building comes with two parking spots which is like hitting the lottery. It’s also only about six blocks from where my son Brandon lives with three of his friends which is another plus. Actually Alex has about as many friends living in Hoboken as she does at home and I know this is a day she has been really looking forward to.

However as I drove home I could not help but think about the little girl who has grown into a rather extraordinary young woman. As a parent you insist you can’t wait for the day when the house is empty and quiet, you no longer have to worry about homework, or driving them all over the place. Then all of a sudden that day arrives and you realize that you will miss the noise, stress and aggravation.

Sure you’re happy, especially for them but there’s some sadness as well. Alex might have moved out but she’ll always be welcome at home.