I have three daughters. The eldest lives in Tokyo, the second in Germany, and the youngest became big enough to leave home. She left home today to live near her university. It's only 20km away from home, but I felt that she had gone far away. I had my house built 7 years ago. It was big enough for my three daughters to come back with their husbands and kids. However, its size makes me feel more lonely. My wife often says, "What are they doing now?"
I heard about the empty-nest syndrome recently. They say that lots of parents whose kids left home tend to suffer depression because of loneliness. However, the criteria for the syndrome diagnosis doesn't match our couple's current condition at all. We feel a little unhappy, but at the same time, we notice that we get more time for ourselves. We can dine out whenever we like, never minding kids' schedules. So, the title of this entry is a kind of joke.
By the way, the summer season is coming. I'm wondering where to go, or what to do this year. I have lots of choices. Some friends tell me to climb mountains. Others tell me to go for a motorcycle ride. My father and daughters want to visit Freiburg where my second daughter lives. I've actually no time to become depressed.
- (Vocabulary)
- empty-nest syndrome 空の巣症候群
- criteria for autism diagnosis 自閉症の診断の基準
- couple 夫婦
- jokingly ふざけて, 冗談で
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