As my sons prepare to launch, I’ve learned that the best way to hold on is to let go

first person

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This fall, I officially became an empty nester. My boys – the oldest started third year and the youngest just started first year – are living independently, beyond the reach of my house rules, unsolicited hugs, annoying parental suggestions and frequent complaints about their disaster of a bathroom. They’ll be coming home for Thanksgiving weekend, and seeing their faces and hearing about their university shenanigans will surely overshadow a blender caked with peanut butter and wet towels on the floor.

It’s taken me a while to learn how to live with my grown children when they come back for a visit.

Having older kids, especially those who at