WHEN OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS START THEIR OWN JOURNEYS
I still remember the day my son went to college. How can I forget? As a Hispanic mother of Italian origin, it was extremely difficult for me to adjust to the idea that my son would move to another state for many years. Although I was very proud of him being accepted by a very well-known university, I had spent so many years making sure that he grew up to be a responsible adult that I knew his absence would drill a hole in my life. Had I really grasped the fact that this was only the first of many other absences, it would have been even more difficult for me to adapt to what awaited me. One Sunday I was finishing some work at home, and when I looked at the striking Miami sky these words instantly hit me: “What am I going to do now?” I had suddenly become a victim of what we psychotherapists call the empty nest syndrome. Gradually my home would become silent and my dinners would lack that enthusiasm that only young peopl...