Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters: 101 Stories about Surviving and Thriving When the Kids Leave Home

by Mark Victor Hansen, Carol McAdoo Rehme, Jack Canfield, et al.

Book Overview

Empty Nesters... You have the whole nest to yourself... and that's not bad! You'll appreciate these 101 stories about surviving and thriving when the kids leave home. You think that saying goodbye to the kids is going to be tough... but then you discover the new you -- with free time, a clean kitchen, and unlimited possibilities. This terrific book for empty nesters or soon-to-be empty nesters contains 101 stories written by parents who have been...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1935096222
• ISBN13: 9781935096221
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Chicken Soup for the Soul
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great book

Helping me to deal with my empty nest

One Great Read!

I have had the honor of reviewing many of the 'Chicken Soup,' books and I have never been disappointed; I don't say that lightly. They all have been great reads, funny, encouraging and well worth my time. However, this one definitely stuck a cord within me, and it was perhaps one of the best I have read thus far. I am one that has been through the empty nest and it is not always a very comfortable place to be. Loneliness and the constant feeling that something (or someone) is missing fills the home, but take heart, this too will pass. Inside the pages of this delightful book we are treated to story after story of parents that have come upon that page in this lives. The stories are often laugh-out-loud funny, heart-touching, and practical. Just about every emotion is shown in the different tales that are shared. They are short stories, easy to read, and will leave you with the feeling that you are not alone. I liked the shortness of the stories because you will be able to read one or more a day and have a daily dose of encouragement. It truly is a great help to know that others, from all walks of life, have experienced exactly what you are, and have made it through fine. You will be encouraged by these words and go away with the attitude that life goes on, and perhaps it is your time to shine once again. Well done. Highly recommended.

Made me laugh and made me cry!

I remember well the lonlieness of those first few years of being an empty nester. Any empty nester will relate to many of the sweet and touching stories that parents share in this wonderful book. It is such a great read for any parent anticipating or having gone through this season of life since it is always so helpful to know you are not alone in your feelings and reactions. I truly believe in mentoring from your own experience, and that is what this wonderful book accomplishes. It would make a great gift for anyone you know who is either struggling or enjoying the inevitable time in every parent's life. And before we know it a new generation fills our home with grandchildren and the nest isn't empty anymore! Kudos to the authors that took the time to compile this precious book. Janet Thompson author of Praying For Your Prodigal Daughter.Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help & Encouragement for Hurting Parents

Empty Nesters is a fabulous read!

I really liked this book. The story "The Whiz Kid" by Beatrice Brown in the Ruffled Feathers section struck a particular chord and had me smiling big time. Without giving away the story, what parent among us has not felt this about our wonderful, brilliant, now adult child? Thanks to all who wrote stories for this book and a special thank you to Beatrice for my favorite story of the collection.

Chicken Soup's Best Book!

Empty Nesters is a collection of poignant stories about parents dealing with a wide range of emotions when their children leave home--numbness, heartache, loneliness, and even exhilaration. The timing of its publication couldn't have been better for me because I'm coping with my own empty nest. I could relate to other parents who faced empty bedrooms, empty laundry baskets, empty cars. Wanda Quist wrote, "The house is so quiet I hear the ice maker drop cubes into its bin." Another mother sends so many care boxes to her son that they're stacked all the way to the ceiling in his dorm room. But the book is not just about mothers. Fathers, sons and daughters also tell their stories, which gives the reader a broader perspective. Empty Nesters is organized into sections with titles such as "First Flights," "Under Our Wings and in Our Hearts," "Out on a Limb," and "Ruffled Feathers." The stories are each just two or three pages. Sprinkled throughout are light poems and so-true cartoons. I laughed aloud at parents staring at a phone waiting for their child to call, kids who come home on weekends with tons of laundry for Mom to wash, and a father imagining turning an empty bedroom into a pool room while his wife laments that the child has grown up. For those parents who are anticipating their empty nest and those who are dreading it, Empty Nesters will help them realize they're not alone, that this time of life is just another inevitable stage that every parent survives. As Patricia Cena Evans wrote, "It was time for me to welcome this next season of life and move on." Yes, I thought. Me too!

Hits the nail on the head

In My Heart I Carry a Star: Stories for Advent The Empty Nesters Soul certainly rings true. Why? because the empty nest experience is both wonderful and heart-wrenching at the same time. The real question is, "How do we respond?" Life is always full of opportunity, and for the empty nester, what we do next has the potential to be redemptive in so many ways. Five Stars! Derek Maul: author "In My Heart I Carry A Star" and "GET REAL: a spiritual journey for men."