Michele Howe - Empty Nest, Whats Next?: Parenting Adult Children without Losing Your Mind

This isnt just a book; its a spiritual devotional designed to shape your heart, turn you back toward God, and help you grow through a sometimes painful but also liberating season of lifethe years of the empty nest. Though there is much wise and practical advice, in the end Michele offers hope and turns us back to dependence upon God. I was challenged, encouraged, and renewed to make these empty-nest years ones filled with joy instead of worry; hope instead of despair; and new promise instead of old regret.

Gary Thomas
Author of Sacred Marriage and A Lifelong Love

In her new book Empty Nest, Whats Next? Michele Howe captures perfectly the angst and challenges associated with being an empty nester and a parent of adult children. She hits all the important topics we never think about, and lays them out in a concise and easy-to-read manner.

Rick Johnson
Best-selling author of Becoming Your Spouses Better Half ,
Thats My Son , and Thats My Teenage Son

I am an empty nester so I knowno , I guarantee : If you are a parent, you will need this book at some point in your life. Empty nesting is a difficult time of life and Michele Howes words are the bandage you will need to help heal, whether you require a companion during a good cry or a wise counselor to point the way ahead. I wish Id had Micheles book when I was limping through the empty-nest stage.

Jeannie St. John Taylor
Author, illustrator, radio host

Michele Howes Empty Nest is chock-full of stories, wisdom, candor, and comfort. Her conversational and transparent style is like sitting across the table with a dear friend. As an empty-nest mom I can relate to the rich content in each chapter. What a terrific book this would be for a womens book study.

Brenda Nixon
Author, Beyond Buggies and Bonnets:
Seven True Stories of Former Amish
Speaker and award-winning blogger at
www.BrendaNixonOnAmish.blogspot.com

In Michele Howes new book she covers every significant aspect of the sometimes-beautiful/sometimes-brutal journey of learning to be the parent of a grownup. It was only when I dropped to my knees before the Lord and pleaded with him to help me transfer ownership of my child to his care that I was able to let go. Wow! Ive been there. Her stories range from raw to sweet to fun, but they all contain deeply relatable truth. I saw myself in many, and I saw my mom and friends in others. The transition from mommy to peer, friend, and occasional counselor (by invitation only) is made a little easier with this book.

Diane Markins
Speaker, trainer, radio host of Bold Living

In Empty Nest, Whats Next? author Michele Howe meets parents at the celebratory and confusing crossroad between nurturing lively offspring and relating to adult children. Joyfully we celebrate their wings, also suddenly aware that the children who once were the center of our focus now captain their own lives. Having launched my own seven grown children, I know parents must make the transition to establish a healthy peer-to-peer relationship. With gentleness and insight born of experience, Empty Nest, Whats Next? tells you how. Thirty practical chapters address issues from meeting potential love interests to giving advice and helping through a crisis. Always at the center are faith, family, and unconditional love for our grown children.

PeggySue Wells
Best-selling author of The Slave across the Street ,
Rediscovering Your Happily Ever After ,
Fr Elise , and Bonding with Your Child through Boundaries

Empty Nest, Whats Next? should be required reading for all parents of adult children. If you are struggling with how involved to be in the lives of your adult children, or if you are raising your grandchildren due to unexpected circumstances, you will find valuable encouragement, helpful advice, and biblical wisdom in this excellent book. I suggest reading the 30 chapters one at a time, over a 30-day time period. Follow through with the Take-away Action Thought at the end of each chapter, and make the ending prayer your own heart-cry to God. This is a must-read book!

Carol Kent
Speaker and author of Unquenchable: Grow a Wildfire Faith that Will Endure Anything

Empty Nest, Whats Next? Parenting Adult Children without Losing Your Mind (eBook edition)

2015 Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC
P. O. Box 3473
Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473

eBook ISBN 978-1-61970-836-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations contained herein are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Due to technical issues, this eBook may not contain all of the images or diagrams in the original print edition of the work. In addition, adapting the print edition to the eBook format may require some other layout and feature changes to be made.

First eBook edition November 2015

To my two grandbabies who are thriving in the light of Gods perfect love in heaven.

I cant wait to meet you both someday!

Acknowledgments

B etween the time when the first page is written and a reader completes the final page, months upon months have passed, and hours upon hours have been invested in each and every book published. From the first notion of a new books premise to the finely crafted final product, countless professionals offer their talents and giftedness to create a resource that will reach far and deep into the hearts of those who open its pages.

For every author, it is a humble privilege to accept a book contract from a publisher who believes in the authors message. For that honor, I want to thank Hendricksons editorial director, Patricia Anders, for her enthusiasm, kindness, and support of this project. I am excited to see what God will do with this book as it reaches those parents who (like me) are in need of some encouragement and perspective in this zany (but exciting) empty-nest season of life.

For bringing their expertise to this work, I would also like to thank Tina Donohue for her design of this book, Phil Frank for typesetting it, and Meg Rusick for helping promote it.

And, finally, thanks to my longstanding agent, Les Stobbe, who has seen my highs and lows in this always-changing publishing industry and has kept me even-keeled through it all. Les, you are much appreciated.

Introduction

P eople always told me the most difficult parenting years were from birth to eighteen years of age. They were wrong. Not to be discouraging to younger parents, but with every year that passes your child inches his way out of your control, and eventually out of your home. Who knew how much emotional distress this never-ending transition could cause us parents?