When kids grow up and leave home, many parents suffer from “empty nest syndrome,” which can result in depression, failure to move on, and turning the son or daughter’s room into a shrine. From an organizing standpoint, if your grown-up child has permanently left home and no longer needs his or her room, consider it fair game! Go through the room with your adult child to determine what he or she will take, what can be donated, put in storage, and transferred to your or his/her Memory Box. Then take that kids’ former room and use it to your advantage. That is prime real estate.

The most common use of a former child’s room is a home office. But you can also consider an exercise room, media room, craft/project room, etc. Be creative and turn it into something that fits your lifestyle now. It will not only boost the physical space in your home, but also will allow you to more easily accept the transition and embrace your new life as an empty nester. It’s not all gloom and doom!

Organizing Challenge: Convert the Kid’s Room

Now that your son or daughter has moved on, what could you use his or her former room for? Start visualizing how you could use the space in a way that matches your lifestyle and needs now. Take some notes to motivate you to make the change. Then get to it! Claim that space as your own. You will be happy you did.