My daughter left home. Then she came back! I was just beginning to appreciate the quiet. How do I get her out again without her hating me for it?

If your kids move back home, right away make plans for their exit strategy. It could be in two months, six months, whatever you agree is fair. If circumstances require that deadline to be missed, set a new time to go. If you need to, raise the rent.

If your kids boomerang back into your home, it's important to set parameters. Number one: They have to pay rent. Number two: They must abide by the rules of the house. For example, they have to take care of their rooms and their own laundry. If they truly are not able to pay rent, make it a loan, with interest! It's not a gift. And the rent should be an amount that the market can bear--they're not freeloading. If they're not working, they must make looking for a job their job. Make time for regular communication with your boomerang kid. Some people fall into the pattern of only communicating with their kids by e-mail.

If your kids move back in, accept that they need you, and know that it is not forever. It is a transitional period to get them back up on their feet, independent, and more financially secure. I think parents should extend a warm hand when needed and help out if their finances permit to do so--do not wait for the day you are no longer here for your kids to get the inheritance. Give it to them when they are motivated, ambitious, and hard-working young adults with a vision and a purpose of their own. It is no shame to move back home. Kids-grown ups also must address this as a temporary move in between the bridges of life. No one can guarantee that it is not going to happen to you! Open minded parents/teenagers worldly people will follow this with no resistance and make the best of it.

People keep telling me I should get a dog, now that my children are out of the house. Will this really help? I mean, we had dogs before and they were fine. But really?

I already had a great little dog that was just like one of my kids. I suppose I talked to her more than usual after my daughter left, but I never felt my need to nurture had been impacted at all. I did start spending more time on myself, doing things I'd always wanted to do but never had time and worked on improving myself, both mentally and physically. I suppose I started nurturing myself.

I started advertising myself out as a baby-sitter. I found that even spending time with the children of other people was very therapeutic. And I made a couple extra dollars along the way. But I think the biggest benefit was that it redirected my thoughts away from my own kids at least for the time I was doing it.

My friends talk about it. What are the signs?

The very first thing that I noticed was the quiet. The house was so quiet, the telephone was not ringing as much and the music stopped. My last child who left our home was so musical and we had grown so accustomed to having the musical instruments played in our home and it was so QUIET without the music. What bothered me the most was coming home from work and realizing that I would not have my daughter to talk with every day. We spent so much time together and that was hard to get used to not having her with me ALL of the time. What didn’t bother me was the FREEDOM of not planning and cooking meals. I spent the first few months eating microwave popcorn and enjoying NOT cooking, but then realized popcorn was not the best choice for dinner every night.

I knew I had it when I started calling my husband by my son's name. I only wish I was kidding.

I knew I had it when I started calling my husband by my son's name. I only wish I was kidding.