Barbara & Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest

Publisher: FamilyLife Publishing
ISBN: 1602000603
Release Date: April 2008
Genre: Women's Issues, Self-Help, Christian Living
Publisher's Website: www.familylife.com
Reviewer: Sandie Kirkland

Every woman who is a mother will, if successful in raising their child, eventually face an empty nest. Children grow up and move out, to colleges, jobs, marriages... Many women are uncertain what will happen once the children are gone, and unsure what this new stage in their life will hold. Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates have written a book that will help all women walk through this new stage, whether they are handling it well or if it is a major challenge for them. Both the authors have been through this event, and their advice is useful for every woman.

While I was reading BARBARA & SUSAN'S GUIDE TO THE EMPTY NEST, it felt like water on a parched desert landscape. I didn't even know I was feeling these feelings, yet Barbara and Susan helped me give voice to what I was experiencing, and gave me the vocabulary to express the problems and the solutions for this issue. Each chapter discusses a possible issue that arises from the empty nest and gives solutions. There are chapters that talk about how to handle life's disappointments, how to renew one's marriage again, how to relate to adult children, how to handle one's own aging parents. Each chapter ends with a list of resources, and then a personal story from someone who had met that specific challenge.

The second part of the book talks about how to redefine one's life in this stage. It discusses how to identify strengths and desires, and how to refocus in order to make a difference now that more time and resources are available. Specific issues that need volunteers are discussed. In the back of the book are appendices that give hints, self-assessments and other valuable resources.

This is truly one one of the best books I've read in years. It is written from a Christian perspective, but even if the reader is not religious, the discussion and resources are so valuable. I plan to buy several copies to give as gifts, and I can't imagine a woman who couldn't gain something from reading it.