Mums have plans for their child's room after they move out
There may be a perception that women are filled with dread at the thought of an ‘empty nest’, but new research reveals the average age a mum thinks their kids should move out by is 22 years and nine months.
In a study of the so-called ‘empty nest syndrome’, mature online retailer isme.com asked 1,000 mums aged 50+ about how their new-found freedom impacted upon their lives and it’s bad news for the kids.
For those approaching 23 and feeling settled in with the folks, one in four mums say they would proactively prompt them to make plans to up sticks and fly the nest.
Instead of preserving the room for a potential return, eight out of ten mums said they’d already made designs to make use of the space before the kids had left – with over a third saying they’d immediately use the space for a migration of their clothes and shoes.
Whilst a guest bedroom is the most obvious choice of revamp, leading the life of leisure is also high on the agenda including a gym and exercise room, a multi-media room for computing and reading or one in ten considering transforming the space into a dream walk-in wardrobe.
If Dad has ideas to turn the new space into a games room or cinema room, just one per cent of the women polled said this was a possibility. In fact, there was slightly more chance of it becoming a dedicated room for the family cat or dog (three per cent).
According to Jon Owen, Retail Director at isme.com: “The modern 50+ mum is still very much a woman who knows what she wants. She has been influenced not only by style, fashion and interiors but also by fitness and technology and is keen to incorporate this into her life as soon as the space becomes available. The nest may be empty, but the space won’t stay that way for long."
Tell us your thoughts on when you think is the right time for children to move out in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam
Tagged in Parenting children Family Parenting News Parenting Style