Empty Nesting

Shecky has been gone, visiting the grandparents, for a week... and I miss him horribly. I talk to him every day, several times a day, and his lil' voice on the other end of the line just hurts me. Don't get me wrong, he's having a BLAST and I'm glad for him and I'm grateful for the opportunity for him to be there running around like a wild Indian and just being a kid. It's fantastic to hear him tell me about how many times he went swimming that day and how long he rode his 4-wheeler, who he played with and what silly things he and his grandparents have done. I HATE talking to him at night, close to his bedtime. He's sleepy. Heck, he's completely worn out. That's when he says things like, "I'm sad. I wish you and Daddy were here every day with me." That's when he misses us. That's when my heart hurts. I'm going to see him this weekend. J is gonna take me up there. R has to work all weekend and can't go. He won't get to be with him on Father's Day. While I'm there we'll make him a card that I'll bring home to him, but it won't be the same.

How do the rest of you handle summers? Do you send your kids to camp? Do they make extended visits to grandparents? Do they go to daycare? How do you deal with the emptiness their absence causes? How do you make them feel better about being apart? Lemme hear from you.