44, 50 & 64. Sometimes the nest fills up again.

35 and 37, I was an early starter, and my kids both left at 16 - one to go to technical college, and when she finished there, she decided to live in the area as she got her own flat, the other worked as a live in mother's help, then left and went to the USA. Sadly I haven't seen her since.

My youngest will leave for college when I'm 58. I quit my job last fall due to a nasty office manager and a boss wouldn't do anything about it. I spent 8 months at home before i found a part time job again. My son is in high school and has a part time job so he isn't home much. There I sat with too much time on my hands. I felt useless too. My new job helps and I was lucky to get it. Employers don't want to hire an older worker. Join a quilt guild or volunteer at church or a day care center or a nursing home. There are things to do out there and the benefits to you are not always money but self esteme, and that makes a big difference.

Around the age of 48 we WERE emptynesters for a year or so, then foster daughter as a freshman in highschool. She is now in collage and son has been back home for the last 3 years or so. (He is now 30, and no $ to move back out).
Yes we did things a bit different, cooked together, did South Beach diet together and got more active; hikeing and snowshoeing.

50

54 and love it. I wish my one duaghter lived closer, but she married in NY and lives on Long Island. I had enjoyed many trips there til I went to work for the Census Bureau. Will get there again this fall sometime. Hopefully. Maybe I will keep the puppy til Oct and take off then with it.

I was 49 and I counted the days until my last son closed on his house ...I enjoy having my house stay clean for longer than 10 minutes and the utilities are cut in 1/2. I dont have to worry about a decent dinner each night. Both my sons live within 5 miles of us so we see them both often, they still feel the need to grocery shop in my basement.
I dont miss all the noise and car shuffling....

When the kids grow up enough to be on their own. We raised our kids to be self sufficient, and since they are, we knew we did a good job.
We became empty nesters when the "baby" turned 18 and instead of going to college, went into the Navy. We knew we had done a good job with them, now it was our time together, which turned out to be way too short.
Now I'm enjoying my quiet home, volunteering 1 to 3 times a week and seeing my long time club members twice a month. Sewing, yard work and hobbies take a great deal of time. Quiet time reading with a cat on my lap is precious.

40

I had seven years between my middle child and my youngest as I lost a child in between them. It was like having two families. The youngest one has gone to the city for college now. It's too quiet sometimes but I am so over the teenage years so in a way it's a relief to be done with that but I do miss her humor and her hugs. I have time to travel now and can sew and quilt at all hours of the day or night if I feel like it. I wish they were all a little closer though so we could at least have weekends together once in a while or dinner out in the middle of the week or whatever. Two of them are about 5 hours drive from me and of course one is Washington State. My house is too big now so I am considering foster parenting. There are lots of hurt and broken kids who need love and attention out there. I'm going to wait until spring to make a decision, that way I'll be sure it's what I want before I get involved. I am 52.