Missing my dauther after she moved out. How to be ok with children growing up?

Hi @brokencookie

How are you doing today?

I'm sorry you are feeling worried, I think this is a natural reaction to having your kids move out for the first time. You should be very proud and trust that you raised a daughter who can take care of herself and be independent. Here is a small video you can watch about Empty Nest Syndrome. The feeling will get easier to live with.

Let me tag a few other Carenity members who may be able to share their experiences with you.

@Idunnoanymore @Rfilip @AnoushkaBose @jgolf68 @Ajit05 @dpaulovich @CarBella @windy10s @rrodri12000 @capri3 @churcberna @paulak @thegurns @hpollo40 @tabroz @macausa08 @Gladams @JuleeCade @jimmyd @SisterK @rellww @Monyamane @Dada2115 @Spofford @KDoaap @Verycansada @daybyday2 @JennaRae @nkarim @mrscarone @charding8290

Do you have children? Have they moved out? Did you experience Empty Nest Syndrome? Did it get easier? How do you cope?

Take care,

Lizzi from the Carenity team

What is empty nest syndrome?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦The empty nest syndrome is a set of feelings felt by parents whose children leave home.In the US, most young people aged 27 do not live with their...

Yeah me currently if you wanna talk about maybe you can give me call or text sincerely

Hi brokencookie,

I can relate to what you are going through. When my daughter went to college in Jacksonville, FL (we live in Maryland) I cried like a baby every time she had to go back after school breaks, what helped me some was my son was still living at home. When my daughter graduated and came home she stayed only 2 weeks telling me she wanted to move back to Florida, she said "you don't want me to go do you?" Of course I replied no but also told her that it was her decision and I am proud of the young woman she became, truthfully I was scared to death because she was going to be so far away, worried about her safety, etc. but I often told myself that this is what we raise our children to become, independent. Of course I still had my son living with me but then that all came to a crashing halt, when, after living together for 37 years my son and I had to go our separate ways, that was one of the hardest days of my life, now I would be on my own with my son living 3 hours away from me and my daughter living in Florida, I was a total and complete basket case. Well after living in Florida for 10 years my daughter moved back to Maryland about 3 years ago and we got a place together about a year ago.

Now having said all that I can tell you it does get easier, I think it is important to let your daughter know how proud you are of her, send her messages letting her know you are thinking about her but don't get upset if she doesn't respond immediately. Also, I don't know if you work, if not look into some volunteering opportunities that may be available where you live, also if you can find local groups that interest you see about joining them, if you go to church talk to your pastor about connecting with other members of the church. If you want to connect with me I would love that as well, just let me know how best we can connect.

I hope this helps you at least a little.

I went through the same thing when my daughter went to college. I didn't realize how much I relied on her for socialization and support. I could not wait to see her again and would pressure heron this then feel so selfish. I wanted her to be independent and have a healthy life. It has gotten better with a lot of tears and loneliness I had to work through my own issues and be honest with one friend since I was embarrassed that it consumed me so. So it is good to reach out and know you are not the only one.

I didn't have this problem when my daughter moved out since she's 45 and I'm 65. What's hard now is that I have two granddaughters who are 12 and 13. We were always close and had a great relationship. I've always had a great relationship with my daughter. My granddaughters are getting to the age where they don't really want to spend time with their grandparents anymore. My daughter is a RN, working full time, got married again last year and doing online school to get her BA in nursing. I feel left out and alone. My husband is younger than me and works fulltime. I'm disabled and at home everyday. We don't live that far away from each other but many days I don't feel well. I too have type 1 diabetes and cirrhosis. It really sucks getting old! Maybe you could move to the state she's in or do video chats. You can check into palliative care that can help manage your medications and disorders. Therapy is always a good idea especially since you don't have family you can turn to. You really need a support network. Send me a message if you want to chat.