When children grow up and leave home, parenting doesn’t end, it changes.

In this gentle, supportive episode of the Under the Moonlight Podcast, children’s author Penelope Willis explores what it really means to live with an empty nest and a full heart.

This episode is for parents whose homes feel quieter than they used to, and who are learning how to hold pride, love, and tenderness all at once as their children build lives of their own.

Drawing on personal experience of sons moving away for university, living abroad, and starting new chapters, Penelope talks honestly and reassuringly about:

navigating the emotional shift of empty nest life

staying connected with adult children who live far away

embracing new routines, new families, and new normals

finding comfort, purpose, and pride as parenting changes shape

understanding that love doesn’t shrink with distance, it expands.

This episode offers calm encouragement, gentle perspective, and practical emotional support for parents adjusting to life after children leave home. It’s not about loss, it’s about growth, connection, and learning how to love from a little further away.

If you’re searching for comfort around empty nest feelings, parenting adult children, or how to stay close when children live elsewhere, this episode is here to sit with you quietly and remind you that you’re not alone, and that you’ve done something very right.

You can also read a gentle companion blog post to this episode, Empty Nest, Full Heart, on my website, where I explore these thoughts in a little more depth.

Empty Nest, Full Heart. When Parenting Changes Shape. / Under the Moonlight - Comforting Stories Blog | Books by Penelope Willis https://share.google/3OYlNR7QG7ZS7Xl2V

Oscar and the Whispering Cloud is a gentle, calming bedtime story read aloud in a soft, soothing voice, like a lullaby in story form.

Perfect for listening together with your little one, this relaxing children’s bedtime story helps create a peaceful bedtime routine and a sense of safety and comfort at the end of the day. With slow, reassuring language and a dreamy, calming tone, it’s ideal for winding down before sleep.

This episode is especially suited for:

Toddlers and young children

Sensitive or anxious little ones

Children who struggle to settle at bedtime

Parents looking for a calm, gentle story to share at night

Oscar and the Whispering Cloud is a comforting story about reassurance, love, and feeling safe, making it a beautiful choice for bedtime, rest time, or quiet moments together. Many parents also find it deeply relaxing to listen to alongside their child.

A perfect bedtime story for children aged 2–6, designed to soothe busy minds, slow breathing, and gently guide little listeners toward sleep.

Written and read by Penelope Willis, author of calming stories for little people.

Also available as a beautifully illustrated children’s bedtime story book https://amzn.eu/d/6lLRovO

After the excitement of Christmas, many young children seek extra closeness, feel more emotional, or struggle to settle back into routines. This can feel worrying for parents, especially if things felt settled before the holidays.

In this gentle episode of Under the Moonlight Podcast, Penelope Willis explores why post-Christmas emotional wobbles are so common, what children are really communicating when they seek closeness, and how calm, consistent connection helps them feel safe again.

A reassuring listen for parents of toddlers and young children navigating emotional shifts, separation worries, and routine changes after Christmas.

If your child is missing someone right now, Whenever You Miss Me, Look for the Moon is a gentle bedtime story about love that stays, even when someone is far away. 🌙

Whenever You Miss Me, Look for the Moon is available as a picture book here:

www.booksbypenelopewillis.co.uk

& Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/75dW5a1