Column: The sound of silence

I still remember the week our children left the nest. Our son had finally saved up enough money for a down payment on a house and was eager to strike out on his own. Our daughter quickly realized that she would be stuck alone in a house with two annoying parents. With “junior” out of the picture, she probably thought we would focus a lot more on her lifestyle. Not wanting to be micro-managed, she decided to move in with her boyfriend, who is now her significant other and the father of our grandson.

Those first few weeks seemed glorious to the Mrs. and me. “You hear that?” I asked. “I didn’t hear anything” she replied. “Exactly” I said with a grin. For the first time in 24 years, it was just the two of us. That was almost four years ago.

It didn’t take long for us to begin to miss them. There were no more corny jokes at the dinner table from our daughter. There was no conversation to be had with our son. There was just the Mrs. and me chatting to each other. That’s not a bad thing, but when the Mrs. and I disagreed on something, there was no longer offspring around to give their perspective so we could come to a consensus. There’s still laughter, just not as much.

This year, Lois decided it was time to bring the family together. She rented a large cabin and invited our son and his wife, our daughter and her husband as well as our grandson. The place was large and well laid out. Every couple had their own room and there was even one for our grandson. It was great to hear chatter around the dinner table again and there was lots of laughter to be had, as we all reminisced about our time together when our children still lived at home. All was well until it was time for bed.

Although this cabin was large, it only had two bathrooms. That’s when I was reminded of all the times at home when I could never access a bathroom when I needed one. Thankfully, I have a strong bladder.

I had also forgotten how noisy we can all be. For four years now, our house has been completely quiet. But with people getting up throughout the night to go to the washroom, to get a drink of water or change a toddler’s diaper, I heard constant noises throughout the night while staying at the cabin. I found myself wondering if I was disturbing anyone when I got up. According to my children, the house actually gets quieter when I awake, as my snoring ceases.

All in all, it was a fun-filled week with family and I’m looking forward to when we can do it again. I must confess, though, that when I got home and everything was unpacked, I did sit back for a while to listen to the silence. Our home is a lot different than when it was filled with our children and all of their friends. I loved spending time with our family, but it truly was good to be home.

From all of us at the Airdrie City View, we hope you have a great long weekend. I hope you enjoy your family time as much as we enjoy ours.