Living, Loving, Empty Nesting
Empowering Teens for Adulthood
Welcome to Living, Loving, Empty Nesting
I'm so glad you're here!
I'm Danka, and I want you to know that just a few years ago I was right where you are. I was a working momma of a high school senior who was rushing from one place to the next doing ALL THE THINGS! Working till 5, rushing home to eat a bite (if there was time), then I was off to school events or activities until 9 or 10 almost every night. High School years are crazy busy!
As busy as we were fitting in all the "lasts" of high school, my thoughts kept drifting to all the skills I still needed to teach my daughter before she graduated and began her adult life. I was stressing and worrying that I hadn't made enough time to teach her the skills and lessons she needed to know in order to maneuver responsibly and successfully in the adult world.
The stress and fear of her soon being and adult and on her own hit me hard one day as we were on our way to a college visit. As a result of this fear, my anxiety got the best of me, and I began spewing all the lessons I could think of right then and there. Moving from one lesson to the next without a break between lessons, and I didn't stop until we arrived at the college campus. Friends, let me just tell you, this was not my finest moment as a mom. I felt like a crazy, frantic momma who had run out of time to teach her child those very important lessons. In that moment, I decided to turn on that fire hose and drench her with all the important lessons I could think of in the short amount of time I had her captured in that car. Thankfully, my daughter was very gracious during this drive, accepted my craziness and loved me through it!
As parents we want to make sure we teach our children everything they need to know before leaving the nest. But inevitably, there will be things we forget. And as they are walking out the door or we are dropping them off at college, we remember all the things we still want to teach them. Leaving the nest can be a scary adjustment, filled with all kinds of emotions, both for your young adult and for you.
As you can see, I wasn't perfect and am still not. However, through this experience, and many others, I realized there is a better way. A way to plan these teachable moments into your everyday schedule. Living, Loving, Empty Nesting is a blog that identifies important skills and lessons teens should know before leaving the nest, provides the tools and resources to help teach teens these skills, and offers a plan to get these lessons scheduled into an already busy high school schedule.
Wouldn't knowing your child has been trained with the skills they need to be ready and able to soar once they leave the nest be the very best transition into a confident and worry-free empty nest? If your answer is yes, you are in the right place. I would love to share what I have learned in this journey and help you empower your teen for the adult world with ease and less stress.
You've got this! Let's do it together!
Meet Danika
I'm a recent empty nester who loves family, animals, cooking and the beauty of nature. I'm a southern girl at heart and could spend every evening on the porch swing with the warm summer breeze blowing through my hair and listening to the cicadas in the trees. Add in some tea and a piece of chocolate, and I'm satisfied for life.
I started this blog because I am passionate about parents raising teens who are ready to soar from the nest and become responsible and accountable adults who can make a difference in this world. I would love to share my experiences and what I have learned along the way to help your teen learn the skills needed for success in the adult world and to help you begin your transition into a confident empty nest. I can't wait to get to know you!
Living
It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings
-Ann Landers
Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn.
-Benjamin Franklin
-Ann Landers
Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn.
-Benjamin Franklin
Loving
Every child deserves a champion--an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
-Rita F. Pierson
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and wings of independence.
-Denis Waitley
-Rita F. Pierson
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and wings of independence.
-Denis Waitley
Empty Nesting
When you have a child, you've initiated a process that leads to an adult...
Often, we try to pretend that growth comes with no goodbyes, but it does.
Perhaps we can go in with our eyes open, understanding that what we begin will likely end. And when we plan for it, we'll do it better.
-Seth Godin
Often, we try to pretend that growth comes with no goodbyes, but it does.
Perhaps we can go in with our eyes open, understanding that what we begin will likely end. And when we plan for it, we'll do it better.
-Seth Godin
Copyright © 2022 LLEN Solutions LLC