The House Is So Empty

I didn’t realize how uncommon it was. My house isn’t that big. Well, compared to some I guess it is. It’s about 3800 square feet. That’s not particularly large for Utah. But, it has nine bedrooms. It has nine because we needed nine when we moved in. We had eight kids and each kids had their own bedroom.

Now?

Now, we don’t have eight kids at home anymore.

Now we have a library. And I have a proper office, not a closet. We have a guest room. And a second guest room.

We have two kids at home. And soon it will be down to one kid at home.

At most we had 13 at home. Yes, that tag line from my signature block is true. I have 13 kids. When you have that many kids,even simple things become complicated. Chores were a spreadsheet. Meals (several kids had allergies) were complex and always served cafeteria style. Laundry was a daily effort.

Food, was not as expensive as you might imagine for a family our size. Generally about $600/month. We prepared food, we didn’t necessarily eat prepared food. A trip to McDonalds was a big deal. And the house was never empty. There was always someone around.

But, now? Now, the house is empty a lot.

Our food budget is lower. We can eat out more. Laundry is a couple days per week. We manage to sit at the table with the food ON the table with us. And there are lots less people around.

Soon, it will just be my lovely wife and me. She’s studying to be a medical assistant. I’m a writer who works a 9-5 computer job.

It’s right that our kids move out on their own. They need to start their own families. Get careers. Go to college. But, it also means we see less and less of them. When the lights are left on, I know who did it. When a towel is left in the middle of the floor, it’s not a question of who’s responsible.

It’s strange. As my children move to the next phase of this lives (also known as adulthood) I find I’m also moving to the next phase. We call it “empty nesters.” But, just as my kids are not always prepared to be on their own, neither am I.

It’s hard to get used to the lack of noise. The silence is deafening.

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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