Audio Review ~ From Mom to Me Again ~ Melissa Shultz

*I received a free copy of From Mom to Me Again How I Survived My First Empty-Nest Year and Reinvented the Rest of My Life from Tantor Media via Tantor Media. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

From Mom to Me Again How I Survived My First Empty-Nest Year and Reinvented the Rest of My Life by Melissa T. Shultz
Narrator: Wendy Tremont King
Published by Tantor Media on December 19, 2017
Genres: Non-fiction
Length: 6 hours 30 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Tantor Media

Discover your own identity after your kids leave home!

When her children left for college, Melissa Shultz was certain that she had prepared them for their new lives--but her own life was a different matter entirely. Her house was empty, her purpose unclear. If her life was no longer dominated by the day-to-day demands of being "Mom," then who exactly was she? And how would she ever move forward?

From Mom to Me Again is the story of one woman's reinvention. Shultz's struggle with the empty nest and the transformation of her marriage, friendships, career, and ultimately herself, is part memoir and part self-help guide. Funny, comforting, and practical, this book tells Shultz's personal story and provides valuable advice for readers preparing to send their children off into the world. She shows women that while they'll always be mothers, it's time for them to take center stage in their own lives once again and embrace this new stage of life.

While not everything applied to me, From Mom to Me Again offered some good advice for the transition from mom to empty-nest parent. Shultz provided tips on starting the transition during my kids’ senior year – so I’m happy I decided to listen to this when I did. She also offered advice on self-care as well as on transitioning your marriage from focusing on parenting back to focusing on being a couple.

Take Away Items

• It’s okay to take time for ME – which is difficult when your focus has been your kids for so long
• Try doing new things, learning new skills. This not only aids in changing your focus, it also might uncover a new passion.
• It’s normal to be sad about your kids being gone but take care with your emotional state.
• Schedule activities with your spouse in order to re-energize and refocus on that relationship.
• Engage with friends who are in similar stages of life and/or who have the same interests.

Much of From Mom to Me Again was devoted to figuring out what the next stage of your life will look like career-wise. Shultz had some great insight into making skills you gained as a mom work for you in the working world. She gave advice on ways you can determine the kinds of things you’re passionate about and where you might find a career engaging your passions. She also explained resume writing, incorporating your parenting experience and skills in a way that translates to the corporate world. While these sections of the book were valuable to someone looking to start a new career or change directions in their career after becoming an empty-nest parent, they didn’t necessarily apply to me. I’m not certain what the next stage of my life is going to look like but Shultz did give me food for thought.

Wendy Tremont King’s narration was perfect. Listening to From Mom to Me Again seemed almost as though I was sitting with a friend, getting advice.

 

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