A friend of mine wrote a hilarious piece about the pets her children left behind. I wish I still had a copy. Next time I see her, I'll get one if she still has it and post it here.

We solved the problem of the kids coming back to the nest by moving out of the townhouse we lived in to a 2 bedroom apartment. Then we made one bedroom into a den and gave away their bedroom furniture.

Just kidding. Laura was settled in NY, Ed was planning on heading West and my husband's prognosis was still iffy. So we opted for a smaller place that I could stay in by myself if I had to. We love it when the kids come to visit, but after a while it gets crowded. And they get tired of sleeping on our fouton or the living room sofa.