I loved having them home. Unlike other friends who proclaim liberation when the 'kids' return to school, having young adult 'children' at home is an adventure. The pile of shoes at the door meant they were in the house. The dog was walked regularly, chocolate chip cookies were baked regularly, the grocery shopping was done regularly, and, errands completed regularly. In fact my children probably observed that my husband and I are very disorganized because we fit in all these tasks, minus the cookies, around intense yet fulfilling work schedules.
Each night when the kids were home I excavated the kitchen of open newspapers, laptops, dirty glasses, and, food forms. One night the layers were so deep it took an hour before I created a space to cook. Yes, my children did put dishes in the dishwasher, make their own meals, and do their own laundry. But, unlike older adults, read parents, who do these tasks sequentially, young adults do these tasks in spurts. The clean laundry is in a pile yet unfolded while the sandwich is toasted and then the newspaper read while the laundry lounges on the table and the lunch dishes cleared. So the glasses, the laundry, and the meals form a layered pile that is eventually put away.
The young adults and the older adults are on a Journey Through Adulthood. At this particular stage, they are learning to give life to passions and live dreams. They are learning which
dreams will serve the worlds needs and which dreams still hang onto to 'Peter Pan' hopes to never grow up. They are not yet focused on making home or maintaining a routine that moves several people through the day.
The older adults are living their passions and now seeing the ways in which they do make a difference. We are dedicated to how our passions. In addition, I have learned how to be the public health official for a family. My husband has learned how to cook for a crew team and Boy Scout troop. He cooks that way when the kids are home. We have learned that for all of us to navigate the day from alarm clock to lights out, there is a balance between the schedule and the flow. When the kids are home, the emphasis is on the flow, and its fun.
Sharing the journey through adulthood over these last four weeks rose above the sound of the clock. Now, it is still enough to watch the pendulum swing and listen to the gentle click of the tick.
