Sending my daughter off to college, and experiencing the emptiness in our home the last few months has been an adjustment for me, my husband, and our pet, but siblings are often forgotten in this process.
Some children genuinely miss older siblings, even if they have trouble admitting it. But many middle kids savor being on top of the sibling stack, even if only until Thanksgiving break. And the youngest kids rejoice at not having to compete for parent attention.
I must admit that our son has had to live in the shadows the last 6 months as we focused on college applications, campus visits, senior prom, graduation, shopping for dorm stuff and preparing for the big move.
But suddenly, “the queen” is gone, and the “prince” can now blossom.
Our son seems to be finding his own niche. He is a Freshman this year in high school, so life for him is also a big adjustment. I think focusing on a new school, new friends, a new workload and basketball has kept him quite occupied.
College siblings can also feel left out. My brother was 6 years younger than me, and I truly feel like I missed out on a whole chunk of my brother’s life while I was at college. I think it really effected are relationship, and we’re not as close as I would like to be.
There are some things that my son would rather discuss with his sibling rather than mom or dad — like algebra, teachers, and school friends while under the same roof. From a distance, it’s harder, but today allows so many choices for communication. I know that he keeps in touch with her through text messaging, Instagram, and Facebook.
Our son seems to be adjusting well to the change. He certainly is doing a great job consuming the time I thought I gained having one out of the house. He misses his sister, but it hasn’t been too traumatic being home alone.
Kim's What's Up 