It's probable that Amy won't be coming home this summer. She will be interning in Grand Rapids and working at the college library all summer. One of the apartment complexes near campus is offering a huge bargain for students over the summer and she will probably take one of the apartments. We will miss hanging out with her around the house and going to the beach, but she's 22 years old and has her own life.
Many of my friends experienced empty-nest syndrome when their children no longer lived at home. I'm okay with Amy not coming home this summer. She's a mature, reasonable, and responsible adult who has moved on to the next stage of her life. It's possible that the 6 other children still living in our home has something to do with my reaction to a child leaving home, but I WANT my children to be independent and confident. It's good that she wants to live her own life and make her own decisions.
Amy has always had a strong sense of who she is. She isn't easily influenced by her peers. The child who loved show tunes, still exists. The LotR/Dr. Who/Pride and Prejudice nut also went to see Paramore last fall. I believe that if she had went to public school, some facets of her personality would have been stifled. Homeschooling let her spend 1 semester reading all of Shakespeare's work, because she wanted too. Public school activities would not have left sufficient time for her to indulge her interests. Having memorized most of Pride and Prejudice will not be a defining event in her life, but it has added dimension to her personality and provided one of out favorite activities, watching a movie version of the book and shouting out the inconsistencies with the book.
It's been a joy to watch her interests grow and expand throughout her life.
Amy will always be a part of our family and I hope that she will still want to spend occasional weekends and holidays with us. How else can she introduce us to the likes of Wicked and Dr. Who?
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