Empty Nest Syndrome

I have to say some people may think this is so strange that I still believe I have Empty Nest Syndrome. My three children have actually graduated school, college and they are all married and even have children of their own.  I know, you are wondering where the empty nest syndrome comes in to this while I am wondering if it is ever going to go away. I still wish daily that I have them all back home living with me. Is that a little bit odd or what? I would like to know how many other parents are still feeling this way, if you ever did?

I sometimes wonder as I sit and think about this if I am a little strange, but my husband feels the same way so I guess if there is something wrong with me then there is something wrong with the both of us. HA..

I have had parents tell me while my children were going to school that they couldn't wait for their children to graduate and leave home. I could not even imagine feeling like that. I always wondered if  they really felt that way or if they were just having a bad day. I hope it was the latter of the two. I remember the night before Crystal (my oldest) was going to start kindergarten, as we lay in her bed discussing her big adventure that was about to start she cried for the fear of the unknown and I cried for the fear of what I did know. My first born was about to spread her tiny little baby girl wings and take her first adventure on her very own.

I truly thought the very next year when Andrea (middle child) was going to start school that it would be easier. I had gone through it once and it wasn't new to me but it didn't make one bit of difference to me I cried all over again. How could I ever let both of my little girls leave me in just two years time. Andrea however put on a much more brave face and said "it will be okay because Crystal will be with me". Then in her next thought was "Mommy you still have Joel (my son) to be with you", she didn't realize that it didn't make any difference.  I still had Joel, it was my two little girls that I was having to let go of. My little girl had waited not so patiently to be "big" like her sister, she was more than ready.

I feel like when a child goes to school in one sense you lose a huge part of them. Somehow it seemed like they left on the bus in the morning my baby, they came home in the afternoon a kindergartener. (So they thought)

Three years later it was time to send Joel to school. I tried very hard to keep him home one extra year because his birthday came only 2 days before the cut off date to make it into that school year. I thought the best thing for him would be to keep him home another year, he was very young. I talked to the kindergarten teacher and we decided that I would allow him to take the tests to see how prepared he was. I hate to admit, when she came out of the class room with Joel, his little name tag attached to his shirt, holding the work that he had done for them in his hand to show me  that he was MORE than ready to join his two sisters at school.
This, I believe is when the EMPTY NEST SYNDROME came at me full force and it has never ever come to an end.

The only thing is now, if I could have them back I would need to add on to our home, because they all have a family.  Thats the only way I can see that I could make this ENS that I suffer from go away.

Is it really empty nest syndrome, is there anyone else that has ever felt this way or is this something I suffer from all alone?