When kids leave home, it’s time to write next chapter

What other profession measures success by showing your clients don’t need you anymore?

I’m better at understanding why many empty-nested mothers ask the question, “What now?”

Amy and her friend Maz Rauber know that feeling. These ladies have known each other a long time — since their daughters were in kindergarten in Washington. Those sweet little cherubs are now college graduates off leading their fabulous 20-something lives.

It’s been a great ride for each of these women. Rauber was a political reporter based in Washington. She scaled way back when her kids turned 9 and 11 and eventually chose to stay home with them.

Reingold is the artsy one. She’s a former chef who developed recipes for big food companies. She also became a stay-athome mom.

They have no regrets on the career sacrifices they made for their kids, but they had big questions on what to do once all their kids were up and out.

It’s something I’m hearing a lot from moms. They don’t want to go back to the careers they left. This begs the question, “Where then?”

The two women had the nerve to answer, “Somewhere we’ve never gone before. Let’s go do something we never had time to do.”

That’s how they came up with the idea to write a book.

“You know the wisdom about writing,” Rauber told me this week. “Write what you know. Well, the only thing we felt we knew at the time were raising teenagers and politics.”

So these two moms set up a schedule and began to write. Using the pen name, Ella Monroe, they created “Capital Girls,” a young adult novel about politically connected teenagers growing up in Washington.

“It’s kind of like ‘Pretty Little Liars’ meets ‘The West Wing,’” Reingold explained.

They had a blast creating it. “It’s a like filling your day with a new kind of baby,” they said.

Still, it’s one thing to write. It’s another to get published and receive early reactions from book agents which were not encouraging. One agent told them theirs was a great idea — five years ago.

Only a fool would bet against a couple of determined mothers. Rauber and Reingold sent out pitches to dozens and dozens of agents. “It only takes one to say yes, and we found our yes.”

The agent landed them a three-book deal. The second book of the series comes out this month.

“We were lucky we got published,” Rauber told me. “But this would’ve been a grand adventure, even if we hadn’t.”

They have a message to other mothers who, with their job well done and over, will one day also be asking, “What now?”

The kids’ leaving isn’t the end of your story. It’s just time to write your next chapter.

Pick something you’ve always dreamed about and never had time to do. Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before.

Taking that big leap might even impress your kids. They’re not the only ones off having the time of their lives.