It’s August already and the heat of summer is truly upon us. For many it is a time of great transitions as our growing children celebrate their new found independence after completing exams, and before embarking on the next leg of their education they flee to a festival to enjoy their youth!

A friend recently remarked: “My kids are at Reading Festival, the dog is at the vets and I suddenly find the house very empty.”

Whether you are a couple with a working spouse or indeed doing the whole solo parenting marathon, this can indeed be a time of emptiness and confusion.

You are not ‘lonely’ exactly, but the pace of life has changed and you know instinctively life will never be the same again.

How can you navigate this newfound freedom?

So how can you best navigate this time of newfound freedom and personal challenges? Obviously you have so much more time and possibly a little more stretch in the budget as the kids take off, get summer jobs, spend more time with their own friends and you only have yourself to worry about.

I highly recommend getting stuck into reading all those books you have been putting off all year, and when you feel a spurt of energy, what about a clear out? That drawer in the kitchen that gets filled at an alarming rate, the boxes in the attic that haven’t seen the light of day for a decade, or even the garden shed.

Use the wonderful weather, the free time and the sense of purpose to effect lasting change for you and your family.

For one thing, you may discover some long lost treasures and we all know how exciting it can be to find that item you thought was gone forever. I can guarantee you will feel a true sense of peace after throwing out a whole load of junk, which has been cluttering up the place for years.

Set up a hobby area in your child’s old room

If you are navigating an older child leaving home, maybe it is time to set up a hobby area in their old room. Keep the bed – it will always be there for them, of course – but use the space to paint, draw or learn to sew. Repurposing the spaces in our home as our families grow is a vital element of marking the transitions we all experience, so make it joyful, beautiful and beneficial.

Your home is a special place and will always be a safe haven for the family, no matter what. After all, where would they be without mum or dad to come home to, with washing, hungry bellies and needing a shoulder to cry on? Remember, it’s your summer too – go have some fun!