Navigating the Empty Room Season

• By candidasullivan
• August 23, 2025
• No Comments

Is your home a little emptier this season?

As a parent, it is painful to walk by an empty room. We miss the laughter, the life that used to be inside the four walls, and even the sound of a slammed door at times.

With everything in life, we go through seasons, and some of those seasons can be painful. It’s hard to miss the recap of their day or get to buy their favorite foods. I had a complete breakdown in the grocery store one day over a box of Poptarts. I reached for the box, but then stopped. Tears flowed from my eyes as I realized I had no reason to buy them anymore.

The thing that helped me the most was sitting with my emotions and experiencing it all. I cried and prayed when my heart felt overwhelmed with sadness. And I asked God to give me a new way to look at things.

My first Saturday without doing laundry all day was great. I learned to embrace the good moments, as well as the bad.

Just to be clear, I would have kept my children at home with me forever. But I also realized that sometimes we have to step back, so they can step into the person God created them to be.

For so long, my identity had been their mom. I spent my days, taking them places and doing things for them, and then they didn’t need me as much. It was a hard adjustment.

But it was also kind of exciting. Now I have more time to work on my goals and dreams without feeling guilty. I have more time to work on myself and to become the person God created me to be.

While I still feel sad about it at times, I do things to stay connected to my boys. We have Monday dinners. They come over and I cook them whatever they want. We go on vacation together and send each other pictures every day on Snapchat. It helps me to see their faces.

While some things will never be the same, we can create new routines and new ways to stay connected and share life.

It gets better, sweet friend. Ask God to help you. He knows exactly how to help you navigate the tough seasons. And to create something beautiful out of the pain.