What Traditions Do You Do For the Holidays? By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert Empty Nesters, Boomers and those in life transitions, share their traditions: Read a children\’s book Christmas Eve and then add it to the collection for your children when they will be parents Make candy apples while playing favorite holiday sing along songs Open one present Christmas Eve Open the stocking in bed in the morning even when the children are older than 17 or they don\’t get the stocking. Cuddle time is good at any age Take a hike Go to the movies Visit relatives Make seasoned... Read More

Blowing the Whistle:  What’s the price of trying to protect a grandchild? By Susan Hoffman, for GRAND Magazine, NABBW’s Grandparenting Expert “Dear Susan, “As a grandparent, if you had found out that your grandchild had been living with a parent and stepparent who were engaging in a sleazy lifestyle and allowing friends who were also involved to be around the child, would you have attempted to get guardianship? My daughter and her husband are a part of the adult entertainment industry, including stripping and nude photography in magazines and on the Internet and who knows what else. “Sometimes... Read More

Do You Worry About Your Emerging Adults? By Natalie Caine, M.A., NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert Parents ask me if their children’s behavior of indecisiveness is damaging? I believe there is the up side and the down. You learn through choices and mistakes. When you become immobile that is limiting and frightening.  Get help. When you move slower you see and feel more.  Children might take a break from education, work and choose an internship or travel. Some marry late and make different choices for a spouse because of time they chose being solo. Your children aren’t you and you don’t... Read More

7 Things Nobody Ever Tells You About Empty Nest By Natalie Caine “I have found that to love and be loved is the most empowering and exhilarating of all human emotions.” — Jane Goodall 1.    No matter if you are married, single, career or non-career, tears will fall. 2.    You thought you prepared for the role shift and still you are confused who you are now and who your children are. 3.    Good news is you find new parts of yourself that had to go dormant and those parts bring happiness. 4.    Each person shifts uniquely and on their own timing because no one has the family... Read More

If you are a parent whose child is heading to college for the first time, or returning, hopefully you bought yourself a bandanna. Why, you ask? It lasts longer than Kleenex and is easier to find in your Mary Poppins bag filled with directions, camera, money, power bar, credit card, keys, and ID. I carried a blue one then. Now I am in the habit and carry a red one. People ask me,”What is that for?’ or they say, “Are you kidding me, you carry that in your purse everyday instead of tissues.” What can I say, I choose what I like. I for sure did not choose, sobbing once I got in the airplane... Read More

Boomers and Empty-Nesters don’t want to be over committed with schedules and yet they want to participate. I hear this over and over and I understand. They ask me how to choose, how do they know if they are making a difference, and will they be trained? You can begin by talking with yourself about things you like: Education Gardening The Arts Politics Going Green Medicine Law Nature Sports Leadership Animals Military Special education Make a list of what is fun for you. Sounds so simple and yet we forget that step. Then research those words with mentoring and volunteering attached and see... Read More

Sometimes you don\’t have a friend to go out and about. Your inner voice whines about the traffic or the loneliness, which are actually true, and you just can\’t seem to gear up. How about if you go for just an hour and before the traffic? Last weekend, I wanted some inspiration and entertainment. I had a busy weekend of shoulds and still needed something just for me. I actually wanted to go SOLO because of my schedule and rhythm. At the last minute, I went to a museum, even though, PEOPLE say don\’t go on the weekends. It was so easy and fun. I stopped in an outdoor food court... Read More

The first blush of love is intoxicating. Every touch, every kiss, every thought of one another is enough to quicken your heart and thrill your spirit. You are perfect for one another. Or so it seems at the beginning. Then things change. Differences show up. Instead of two-who-have-become-as-one, you feel separate and you\’re not sure the other one is somebody you even like anymore. Your relationship has entered into the clash of differences. Why does that happen? Because love changes. It cannot stay static. The future of what you will have together will grow out of the deeper love that awaits... Read More

Baby boomers, empty nesters, new parents, grandparents, newlyweds, adult children, teens, divorced families, well you can add to this list, all wonder , WHY CAN”T WE GET ALONG? You are not going to be able to change me and I won’t be able to change you. Why is that idea so difficult? Parents want to change their children and their spouses for that matter. Children want their parents to change. The key to the heart is negotiating and acceptance. The myth is once you learn that, it will stick. Not true. Practice means practice. Vulnerability is vulnerability. You feel uncomfortable because... Read More

Romantic fantasies, like drugs and alcohol, offer the hope of getting what you believe you can\’t get on your own. Also like drugs, they are temporary and never ultimately satisfying. When the spell dissolves, you\’re lost in the pit of heartbreak, shortchanged by life yet again. On the other hand, when fantasy is not a substitute for reality, it can be a playful source of pleasure. You can slip beyond the limits of daily life and play in a make-believe world. You get to go anywhere, be anyone and experience anything you like. However, enjoying romantic fantasies is one thing. Preferring... Read More