I left home and they got a life... What's up with that?

Ouch Kelly and wow, some serious thinking there. I never really thought about that, but you are right, we don't really realize our parents are people too until we are older, usually when something happens. I'm thinking back, I think I realized it in high school sometime, my dad was working away from home and was only home on the weekends. There were 3 of us and my brothers had hockey and sports stuff all the time, I had stuff going on, my mom worked, mostly from home, but outside the home a few days a week. I just remember that time, over a year, being really depressing. She seemed mad all the time, I know she was stressed out, overwhelmed with working, the house and 3 teenagers while hubby/daddy was far away all week. I remember realizing after awhile that this "mood" she was in was because of all this, but there was nothing I could do really. Now that I have 2 kids and see that being "on-duty" never ends, I can totally understand that "mood."

Moreso though, after I got married my parents "got a life." Seriously, when I lived at home, they never went out, maybe a restaurant for dinner once every few years. My dad watched tv in the family room. My mom went to bed at 8pm and watched tv in there, I usually watched with her if there was something to watch. Once we kids started moving out, they got a life. They went out all the time, my mom even became the president of an Italian club in the city, she still is the President and loving it. So she has meetings all the time and events every other weekend. The woman who used to be in bed at 8pm watching Friends and Seinfeld. Now they are never home and think nothing of dropping $200 for a meal at a nice restaurant, ok they think twice, but they still do it a few times a year. LOL

I guess the stress of being responsible for 3 kids was gone and they got back to being themselves, I guess life is basically on hold for 20 or so years when you have kids. You do everything for them, live your life around their schedule and needs. Then they leave and suddenly you have your own life back and it's all about what you want again.

Deep thoughts...(by Jack Handy)...LMAO ( that's an old SNL skit for the young uns reading)