Preparing for the Kindergarten Empty Nest Syndrome

It might seem a silly or a little sentimental, but things are going to be different with my little guy heading off to kindergarten. After nearly five years of having him around to badger me incessantly while I’m trying to work, I’m not sure I’ll know exactly what to do with myself without him around. Actually, that’s not quite true. I’ll probably get a ton of work done. But, even if initially it’s just for half a day, things are going to be a little strange without my noisy little buddy pestering me, puddling around the house, and wanting to watch “toons”.

Therefore, I’m trying to prepare myself for the kindergarten empty nest syndrome.

Choosing the Right Time

One of the most important aspects of not only keeping the kindergarten empty nest syndrome at bay, but maximizing time with my son when he is around, will be choosing the right time for him to go to school.

My son and I have grown accustomed to a certain schedule together over the years. He knows that daddy’s best work time is in the morning, and he is content to watch cartoons, play on his own, and generally entertain himself during these hours. This is great since it allows me to get a ton accomplished in the morning so that I can spend more time with him later in the afternoon.

However, when it comes to getting him up, dressed, fed, and over to school, this could cut heavily into my best work time. Therefore, I think we’ll shoot for afternoon classes. This way, we can still spend time together in the morning, but I can get work done, and then I can focus on getting him ready for school when I’m done. I can walk him over to school and then pick him up, and he’ll be ready for mommy to get home from work shortly after we get home.

Maximizing Work Time

Though my little guy will only be gone for a couple hours in the afternoon, it opens up a new opportunity for me to increase productivity. I hope that this will not only help me get more work done and hopefully increase my income a bit, but it will help keep me occupied for those hours while he’s away so that I won’t dwell on him being gone.

Making More of Less

I think in a way that my son’s being away for a portion of the day might actually be a blessing in disguise. As they say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Therefore, by taking advantage of the hours when he’s away and getting as much work done as possible, I’ll hopefully be able to free up late-afternoon and evening hours — something I really haven’t been able to do up to this point in my self-employed career — so that we can take advantage of that time as a family. I hope that while there will be fewer hours to enjoy with him, that I’ll be able to more fully take advantage of the hours we do have.

Planning for More Than Myself

I’ve made mention of my wife several times throughout this article because it’s important to me that I incorporate mommy into the kindergarten empty nest syndrome equation. She will be missing our son as well while she’s away at work during the day, and this is another reason I want to make sure that we’re ready to enjoy family time when we’re all together and that she remains feeling as though she is an integral part of our family unit.

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