When Kids Move Out: The Joy of Using the Empty Space

Our oldest child has finally reached that point of self-sustenance; the place where he’s got a good job that pays well, he can afford to live on his own, and he’s taking charge of his future. Right now he still lives at home while he saves for a down payment on his own place but the day will come, and sooner than later I suspect, when he will walk off into the sunset like his father did more than twenty-five years ago. When that day comes, what will we do with his room?

In reality we’ll probably just use it as a combination guest bedroom and a place to put the stuff that now sits in Gatineau storage. Pretty boring, right? Yeah, that’s us; Mr. and Mrs. Vanilla.

But what if money were no object? What if we didn’t need the guest bedroom or the storage space? What about when our second child moves out? I’ve got a few ideas to run by my wife.

Home Theater

OK, I admit it, I’m a guy. And guys love all kinds of electronic gadgets and technology stuff, especially when it comes to watching sports and movies on TV. Home theaters were designed by guys, for guys, specifically for those empty bedrooms grown-up kids leave behind. I can just imagine a flat screen plasma TV so big it’s measured in feet, not inches. Full surround-sound audio, theater style seating, a snack bar, my own personal remote, and just for fun, life-sized cutouts of my favorite actors and sports heroes. It’ll be great.

What? A guy can dream, can’t he?

Home Office

As a responsible husband I should do something practical that will benefit both me and my wife, and that means a new office. My wife works full-time form home while I split time between home and an office about fifteen minutes away. Our home office is currently in the basement and believe me, it’s not the ideal place to spend an eight hour workday. On the other hand, our son’s room is on the second floor and has wall-to-wall carpet, a porch off the rear, and a beautiful view of the side yard. It would make a wonderful office with enough space for both of us which would my wife would be very happy. Right now a new home office is the front runner.

Home Spa

Another possibility that might be even more enjoyable is a home spa. We could paint the walls in some soft, romantic colors, replace the draperies, install a sound system, and finish it off with a hot tub jacuzzi. We’ve been thinking of the hot tub thing for a few years now so why not make use of the room and make it romantic? We’ll just make sure we never mention to our son what goes on in the home spa. There’s no need to embarrass the boy even though he’ll figure it out anyway.

I’m sure if I think about it long enough, I’ll come up with some more ideas. In the meantime I’ll need a way to get that TV into the house without my wife finding out.