My friend Sarah and I have been working on a nugget of an idea for the last couple of months. We noticed that, while there are a lot of websites about early motherhood and raising younger kids, there really isn't much out there specifically about enjoying life with big kids and teens. We really missed having content targeted to our phase of mid-stage parenthood (with kids ages ten through college-age) and so, in that gap, we decided to go ahead and create the kind of site we wished for and start the conversation.
Many emails and idea sessions and pep talks later, we're launching! (Oh, that makes me giddy and happy and nervous to type.) We're calling it Nest & Launch with a nod to the fact that these years of parenting are so unique with the dual (and sometimes dueling) goals of both nesting and launching. It's interesting: our big kids still need us and our nests during these years but they also are acquiring more freedom and responsibility and getting ready to launch into adulthood. It's a tough, unique balancing act; believe me, we don't have all of the answers but we do love the topic.
We'll have daily posts ranging from ideas for projects, gatherings, and traditions to keeping-it-real posts about parenting, child development, media/technology, books, travel, and even love and life beyond kids.
And the more the merrier! It's the conversation aspect and sense of community we're really hoping to create. (As one of my friends said, this stage of parenting can feel much lonelier and scarier than when our kids were little; at least back then we met each other at playdates and felt understood and supported.) It's still early days (we've only been posting since last week) but I'd love to have you come join us over there.
p.s. Definitely let me know what you think and if there's anything we can cover or do better. I'm the world's worst self promoter but will you do me a favor? If you like what you see, would you pass it along to others, too?
p.p.s. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Pinterest.
Final p.s. A special thank you to a few friends who gave early feedback and really helped us fine tune and adjust. I owe you a big favor, my lovelies.
