What's the best age to be an empty nester?

[Anonymous]

Will be 57 when the youngest goes to college. I don’t think the true empty nest happens until they graduate from college and are out on their own, so 61/62?

I hope we have many years to enjoy things other than the parent role, including being grandparents!

[Anonymous]

We were 53 when the youngest went to college. It’s been a great decade because we have flexibility with work schedules, plenty of money, and enjoy spending time with each other. Looking at retirement in a few more years.

A friend just sent their kids to college at 64. They had the advantage of building their careers while child free.

Pros and cons all around but I’m glad I waited till my 30s to have kids.

[Anonymous]

I guess I view this differently than most people, but I still have young children (7 and 4). I'm glad the younger one won't be off to college until I'm 56! That still feels very young to me. My husband and I had our 20's/early 30's to travel, explore and focus on careers, save money, go to grad school, have fun with friends and spend time with our families. We're planning to retire or semi-retire in our mid-50s so that will hopefully be another fun chapter. We both lost a parent as young adults so know that health can change at any moment and are grateful we were able to spend our time as we have so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely younger the better to become empty nesters. At the same time, it is better to be child free in your 20's.

Solution: have kids young, but make sure they are geniuses so that they can go to college age 12.
Perfect.

[Anonymous]

I'm not an empty nester as I still have 27 and 18 year old at home but at 47/dh 49 we now have impromptu weekends away or spur of the moment date nights without worring about the kids.

We go away/out then get to come home and enjoy our daughters, for which i look forward to it. I like the noise of when there home.

[Anonymous]

I will be 52 when my son (and youngest child) turns 18 (in 12 years… far away still). DH is much older and he will be 62. My eldest is 7 years away and I will be 47. To be honest I am
Not looking forward to be an empty nester. I love my kids and our lives. We travel a ton together and the only downside is that traveling in 5 is much more expensive than traveling in 2.

I think I will miss my kids and I will try to move as close as possible to them!

[Anonymous]

I was excited to have my kids relatively young (28 and 31) but I’m actually sad I will be an empty jester so young. I’m jealous of my same aged friends who will have their kids home many more years because they started later. I didn’t think about that when I had them young. I am looking forward to traveling, but we will still have at least another decade of working after the youngest leaves.

[Anonymous]

I’ll be 49 when my youngest finishes high school and 52 for youngest. I’ll be retiring between 52-55 with a pension so hopefully in still healthy enough to enjoy time to relax and pursue hobbies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was excited to have my kids relatively young (28 and 31) but I’m actually sad I will be an empty jester so young. I’m jealous of my same aged friends who will have their kids home many more years because they started later. I didn’t think about that when I had them young. I am looking forward to traveling, but we will still have at least another decade of working after the youngest leaves.

I had my first at the same age (second took longer) and don't really see the point of having an empty nest before retirement. There's no way we're retiring before 62 at the earliest, especially if we want to help the kids with college - spouse works for a university where they could go free, but it's small, not highly ranked, and obviously extremely close to home. So they go to college and we still have 10+ years to...keep going to work every day, eat dinner by ourselves, and what? It's not like a new world of travel and socializing is going to open up.

That said, I don't wish I'd waited longer to have them, fertility issues are real. Not for everyone but for a lot of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was excited to have my kids relatively young (28 and 31) but I’m actually sad I will be an empty jester so young. I’m jealous of my same aged friends who will have their kids home many more years because they started later. I didn’t think about that when I had them young. I am looking forward to traveling, but we will still have at least another decade of working after the youngest leaves.

I had my first at the same age (second took longer) and don't really see the point of having an empty nest before retirement. There's no way we're retiring before 62 at the earliest, especially if we want to help the kids with college - spouse works for a university where they could go free, but it's small, not highly ranked, and obviously extremely close to home. So they go to college and we still have 10+ years to...keep going to work every day, eat dinner by ourselves, and what? It's not like a new world of travel and socializing is going to open up.

That said, I don't wish I'd waited longer to have them, fertility issues are real. Not for everyone but for a lot of us.

Wow never thought about it that way. Guess that makes me feel a little better about our timing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I view this differently than most people, but I still have young children (7 and 4). I'm glad the younger one won't be off to college until I'm 56! That still feels very young to me. My husband and I had our 20's/early 30's to travel, explore and focus on careers, save money, go to grad school, have fun with friends and spend time with our families. We're planning to retire or semi-retire in our mid-50s so that will hopefully be another fun chapter. We both lost a parent as young adults so know that health can change at any moment and are grateful we were able to spend our time as we have so far.

This.

My spouse died when our youngest was a college freshman so I went from empty nester to widow. My plans to retire in my 50s are now scrapped. No plans to travel since it's just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess I view this differently than most people, but I still have young children (7 and 4). I'm glad the younger one won't be off to college until I'm 56! That still feels very young to me. My husband and I had our 20's/early 30's to travel, explore and focus on careers, save money, go to grad school, have fun with friends and spend time with our families. We're planning to retire or semi-retire in our mid-50s so that will hopefully be another fun chapter. We both lost a parent as young adults so know that health can change at any moment and are grateful we were able to spend our time as we have so far.

This.

My spouse died when our youngest was a college freshman so I went from empty nester to widow. My plans to retire in my 50s are now scrapped. No plans to travel since it's just me.

I'm really sorry, PP. What a huge loss at a time that's already a major transition point in your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the ideal age to be an empty nester, and what age will you be one?

My children will be 18/20 when I am 42. I already have an empty home while they are at their father's home, I have fun with friends while they are gone. 42 seems a bit young to have grown children, but I'm also hoping I'll have money to travel by then and have enough energy to be adventurous. I'm currently 30.

Duh! Whatever age you are when they get their first apartment and they are paying the rent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess I view this differently than most people, but I still have young children (7 and 4). I'm glad the younger one won't be off to college until I'm 56! That still feels very young to me. My husband and I had our 20's/early 30's to travel, explore and focus on careers, save money, go to grad school, have fun with friends and spend time with our families. We're planning to retire or semi-retire in our mid-50s so that will hopefully be another fun chapter. We both lost a parent as young adults so know that health can change at any moment and are grateful we were able to spend our time as we have so far.

This.

My spouse died when our youngest was a college freshman so I went from empty nester to widow. My plans to retire in my 50s are now scrapped. No plans to travel since it's just me.

I am sorry. The same thing happened to my father, and my sister-in-law.

We make plans and the gods laugh, I guess. This is why I take every day of vacation and travel as much as possible now with my spouse and kids. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

[Anonymous]

I'll be 56. I can't relate.