I Feel Like an Empty Nester

During one of our recent television interviews we talked about how our pets respond to the day when the kids go back to school after summer vacation. Part of the family leaves for a long time, and the cat or dog doesn’t understand why. People come and go at unusual times. It can be traumatic for some pets.

One of our volunteers told us that, when her kids went back to school, she feels like an “empty nester,” a parent whose children have grown up and left home.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Empty nest syndrome is a phenomenon in which parents experience feelings of
sadness and loss when the last child leaves home.

What can you do about it?

Stay positive. Thinking about the extra time and energy you might have to devote to your marriage or personal interests after your last child leaves home might help you adapt to this major life change.

Here’s a suggestion that has worked for countless volunteers at your Rancho Coastal Humane Society. Become a Foster Care volunteer.

Some of our volunteers provide foster care year round. And some take the summer off, then start again in the fall when the kids go back to school. It helps them deal with the empty nest while providing a valuable service that saves lives. When the kids are home in the evening and on the weekend, fostering is a family project.

One Foster Care volunteer told us that fostering helps her keep in touch with her daughter in college. Foster pets give them a lot more to talk about instead of the usual “How was school today?”

You don’t need to be an empty nester to become a Foster Care volunteer. You just need a desire to help. In fact, Jacquelyn Loudis, our new Foster Care Coordinator is ready to grow this invaluable program.  RCHS is looking for new fosters and Jacquelyn is ready to train you if you are a “first-timer.”   

Learn more by calling Jacquelyn at (760) 753-6413, jloudis@rchumanesociety.org, or visit the shelter at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas.