In our case, it was tougher on my husband.

Because women share more, I felt more prepared. I had talked about it, even cried about it, with other Moms, who had gone through it or were going through it. My son and I had talked about it too---I was blessed with a son who has tremendous "emotional vocabulary."

My husband did not share with other guys beforehand. I don't think he knew what to expect. For him, it seemed to come out of nowhere. He would say, "My buddy's gone!" or "It sure feels quiet around here."

I launched a new career & college consulting business, planned some travel, did more charity work, and of course, also missed my son. My husband's outward life didn't change but he definitely went through a lot of pain. What has the experience been like for others?

What's a good hobby for an empty nester to take up. I'm taking notes ...

Anything under the sun. Or even broader - the sky's the limit. I took up surfing! My son is now jealous!

You can do anything you want. Don't label yourself an empty nester. That implies you should choose between knitting or forming a reading group. Nothing wrong with those, but how about hiking?

I took up sleeping. :) Also, I'm writing my life story. (Let's hope it doesn't put others to sleep!)

A sport. Any sport.

While my kids were at home, even when they got older, I always thought my first responsibility was to them. And my husband. I never considered working outside the house once the kids were born. But after our kids moved out I decided I was allowed to start concentrating on myself. One thing I always regretted was not taking cooking classes. I can cook ok, but I always wanted to learn to cook like a professional chef. So I started taking classes at a local culinary academy. And I love it. I'm creating a whole new me. And my husband says my cooking is better than ever. He better say that.

When my son went to college, he went skydiving. Yes, he only told me afterwards, from the landing strip, after he was safe. I yelled at him but couldn't not hide the fact that I was proud of his act of independence.

A few months later I visited Rio de Janeiro, and decided to show my son Mom wasn't an old fogey. I tried hang-gliding, running off a 2,000 foot cliff! When I sent him photos he was very proud of me.

They like to know they are important to us, but it is reassuring to them to know that when they go to college, we aren't completely lost. He said, "Way to go, Mom!" The best response ever.