Parenting: The "laundromat" phase :)

Yes, there is a "laundromat" (laundrette, for the Brits) phase to parenting. It rarely starts before the age of 14, or whenever a child first leaves home for boarding school or college, but it does sometimes overlap the earlier part of the "empty nest" phase of parenting. It consists of those years in which it seems that your child(ren) come(s) home chiefly to do laundry during school vacations, between semesters, and/or between trips.

We are currently in the "laundromat" phase of parenting, and have been for several years. Our son came home from college last Thursday night, and left for six weeks of study in Japan this morning.