Cosmos - I know exactly what you mean. I spent 21 years looking after my two before the second one left home and I felt lost. A couple of years later my daughter came home pregnant. To cut a long story short, I took on the full time care of my baby GD and my daughter soon moved out but stayed local so we could all see each other regularly for the next 12 years. Three years ago my DD moved 700 miles away (to Shetland). Now, after living with me full time for 15 years, my DGD has decided to abandon her GCSE courses, friends etc and has moved to live with her mum, so seeing either of them is going to be a rare treat. I admit the teenage years have not been easy, but I just feel totally lost without my DGD, who I obviously love dearly and I was gutted when she recently announced that she doesn’t like living with me anyway!
Now my son and family including my 5 year old DGS are in the throes of moving from a mere 60 miles away to the Netherlands, so suddenly none of my family will be within easy reach. I have no brothers or sisters so no extended family and I am beginning to feel very unwanted!
I have a long term friend who isn’t the least bit sympathetic (think he was a tiny bit jealous of DGD) towards me and can best be described as a grumpy old man. Life isn’t going to be much fun without my family, though I suppose we only see my DS and family a few times each year, but I had planned to spend more time with them now my GD has left, but that isn’t going to be possible now. I don’t travel well and don’t even have a passport atm.
I’m having yet another birthday this week and feel the future is a bit bleak to say the least. At least I’m spending my birthday and Easter weekend with my DGS, so that is something to be looked forward to.