Welcome to My Site

If this is your first visit, welcome! This site is devoted to my life experiences as a Filipino-American who immigrated from the Philippines to the United States in 1960. I came to the US as a graduate student when I was 26 years old. I am now in my mid-80's and thanks God for his blessings, I have four successful and professional children and six grandchildren here in the US. My wife and I had been enjoying the snow bird lifestyle between US and Philippines after my retirement from USFDA in 2002. Macrine(RIP),Me and my oldest son are the Intellectual migrants. Were were born in the Philippines, came to the US in 1960 and later became US citizens in 1972. Some of the photos and videos in this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringing on your copyrights. Cheers!

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Coping Up with the Empty Nest Syndrome- Adopt a Pet Dog

 

Ditas Pets-Leif and Sierra 

I was watching the Macy Parade last Thursday on NBC. After the parade I accidentally did not closed the TV.  The next show was the National Dog Show. For some reason I decided to watch it. It turned out to be an informative show and it reminded me of an article I wrote just recently. The Katague family are dog and cat lovers. I remember when the kids were growing up we have pet dogs and cats. Some of the breeds we have were a Samoyd( Meling), a Chow Chow ( Miko), a German Shepherd( Devil) and a few other mixed breeds. For details on the Dog Show this year read:   

https://tvline.com/gallery/national-dog-show-2021-photos-all-breeds/?ref=https://tvline.com/2021/11/25/national-dog-show-2021-winner-scottish-deerhound-claire-photos/ 

 Experiencing the Empty Nest Syndrome? Adopt a Pet Dog!!


I was messaging a friend in FB recently about her feelings of emptiness, since her last child went to college last month. It reminded me of my article about the empty nest syndrome(ENS) that I wrote a few years ago. In this article I wrote about Macrine (RIP) feelings, when our oldest son left home for college to UC Berkeley. I am posting here excerpts of that article.  In this article there were suggestions in how to cope up with ENS. Today I think one of the ways to cope with ENS is to adopt a pet- a dog specifically. Would you agree?   

I was exchanging messages with a relative in FB recently. In our conversation, she mentioned that all her children have left the house and she misses them. I informed her she is suffering from empty nest syndrome and it is normal or another stage in one's life as we age. Here's her exact words. I am not mentioning her name for the sake of anonymity.

"I was in tears reading your blog (Thank You Lord,I have Thoughtful Relatives). It reminds me of our situation....just me and my husband in a 4,000sq. ft. house and I have to do the cleaning. My health is not good. I miss my children, how happy and busy was our household before and now they are busy in their professions and family. My eldest who has his medical practice in San Antonio, Texas. He calls us every Sunday, the second one calls when he has a chance. His having two kids is hard and my daughter calls when she remembers. They are all in medical field so working night shifts sometimes is hard. I will have them read your blog. Thanks Nong David".

Here's my response:

I appreciate your feedback, I think your feeling is very normal at this stage of your life. You are suffering from-empty nest syndrome. Keep busy and just count your blessings. Are you still working? Keep in touch! Give my regards to the family!

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents or guardians may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.

All parents are susceptible to empty nest syndrome, although some factors can create a predisposition to it. Such factors include an unstable or unsatisfactory marriage, a sense of self based primarily on identity as a parent, or difficulty accepting change in general. Full-time parents (stay-at-home mothers or fathers) may be especially vulnerable to empty nest syndrome. Adults who are also dealing with other stressful life events such as menopause, the death of a spouse, or retirement are also more likely to experience the syndrome.

Symptoms of empty nest syndrome can include depression, a sense of loss of purpose, feelings of rejection, or worry, stress, and anxiety over the child's welfare. Parents who experience empty nest syndrome often question whether or not they have prepared adequately for their child to live independently.

Parents going through empty nest syndrome can ease their stress by pursuing their own hobbies and interests in their increased spare time. Discussing their grief with each other, friends, families, or professionals may help them. Experts have advised that overwhelmed parents keep a journal, or go back to work if they were full-time parents.

Our personal experience with empty nest syndrome started when our oldest son, went to college. My wife did cry and I told her he will be back at the end of the week to do his laundry. My wife finally accepted the fact that her oldest child is growing up and let him go. This feeling of loneliness was repeated four times, since we have four children. Their first day away from home always gave us a feeling of sadness. The first one was the hardest and the last one was the easiest.

Finally if you are in the stage of your life when you children has to go to college or live by themselves, do not feel sad, It is part of the stage of life. Keep busy and try to communicate to them as often as you can. Otherwise get a Pet Dog or Cat!

For complete details read:

https://whyretireinthephilippines.blogspot.com/2015/03/coping-up-with-empty-nest-syndrome-ens.html


 

 

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