So here it is.
Sleepless nights - when they get really big (we're talking able to hold down a part time job), they pick the most anti-social shifts. This summer I had one getting up at 4am, and the other coming in at 3am. As my family tells me, I can hear a fly fart three miles away, so all the coming and going, creaking stairs, alarms being turned on and off, made for a very knackering summer. Not to mention the fear that comes with lying awake knowing that the alarm quite possibly hasn't been set and the front/back door is probably unlocked.
Food - Not only was I bulk shopping twice a week, neither big kid eats remotely the same things. Now, unlike picky little eaters, one is a vegetarian (who doesn't really like vegetables) and the other doesn't eat red meat. They are life choices so I can't really make them sit at the table until they've finished the nice steak I lovingly cooked for them. I had planned to "let them get on with it", but this still entails shopping for food - in itself a challenge worthy of a MasterChef kitchen scramble.
Laundry - The Ex-Queenager, having now spent three years at college, does her own laundry. (She also reads this blog so that's all I'm saying. She also thinks she needs a new name, so if anyone has a suggestion...). I still have one very large 18 year old male, and one big-for-his-size 11 year old, both of whom stink. There's no other way to put it. Their clothes, along with their equally stinky father, require a "heavy duty" cycle in the washer, often followed by another rinse and spin, and copious amounts of "fresh blossom" dryer sheets in the dryer.
Your body - when you have adult kids, you're obviously a lot older than you were when they were babies. And boy there's no forgetting it when they're around. "Mom, is that your knee making that sound?" as they follow you up the stairs. Or, "Mom, can you grab that or is your elbow playing up again". And unlike when they were little and their questions caused mirth (Think "Mom, why does your face crack up when you laugh?"), it's neither cute nor funny when they're merely trying to remind you of your rapidly approaching decline.
Expense - Don't. Even. Let's just say I have two college age kids. And the average yearly tuition for college in the USA is (according to the College Board) $30,000 for private colleges, $22,000 for out-of-state students at state colleges - which we're looking at. That obviously doesn't include air fares, meal allowances, books, etc. I know.
Internet - I'm blogging about it! With photos.