My oldest turned 18 yesterday, and moved out. This has been the plan all along, and he's working full-time, has a steady income, and is as ready for the move as anybody his age could be. It's just down the street, and it's just an apartment on the back of my in-law's "summer home"...but it still feels weird to not have him coming home at night.

We moved his stuff down there and set up his room. I bought him a gun safe and signed all of of his stuff over to him that was on my C&R. He can also legally carry here now, which I have no qualms about...he's safer with a gun and has better judgement than most adults.

My wife cried herself to sleep last night, and I'll admit it was harder for me than I thought it would be. It has me looking at our three other kids and wishing we'd made more. The youngest is 11, and those 7 years are gonna go fast .

Also, coincidentally yesterday was my 20 year anniversary on sigforum, too. I've been here since I was 21, almost half my life. It certainly doesn't feel that long...

Since I don't have kids, i can't relate to what you're feeling, but it sure sounds like you've prepared him well for a life on his own.

Congrats on the anniversary! Always enjoy your interesting journeys and accompanying photographs!

Ours are basically 20, 18, and 16. The oldest goes to school only an hour and a half away. It didn’t feel all that weird, but this summer is different. He’s going to Idaho this summer for a 6 week geology field camp, so he won’t be coming up to MI this year. This fall, he’ll be living in an off campus apartment.

Now my daughter is going to school in NYC this fall which feels really far away. She’s going to be with us all summer which is great, but it’s been in the back of my mind for months now that she’s leaving and I have this ominous feeling she’s never coming back.

It’s going to go by quick with the youngest son and I too think maybe one more would have been OK.

After we dropped off our only child at his out of state college dormitory when he was 18 yo, we flew back home and it was an extremely sad time for my wife and I, it took me a couple of weeks to recover from my depression. We were (and still are) a very tight family, and it was very difficult to see him leave. We knew he was not going to move back home, even though he did live with us for two months in the summer after his freshman year to work a good paying job for cash during his sophomore year. But he spread his wings and is doing great today.

Paint his old bedroom a new color and turn it into a reloading room. lol

If the kid(s) don’t need to move back in for more than four days due to difficulties, you done did good.

Plus reloading in his room will bring back fond memories of him being there.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Paint his old bedroom a new color and turn it into a reloading room. lol

If the kid(s) don’t need to move back in for more than four days due to difficulties, you done did good.

Plus reloading in his room will bring back fond memories of him being there.

That's the plan, but they shared a room so I have to wait a few years for the other two boys to move out first, lol!