PARENTS! How did you survive empty nest syndrome with the first birdie leaving the nest?

First one left, felt weird.
Second one left, missed her terrible.
Third one left, a lot easier than the first two.
Fourth and last one left, pure euphoria. Parade time.

I feel like I am losing my mind. I was caught sobbing over the crock pot because I have her favorite potatoes in there and now there is gonna be too much. I am sobbing now giving Jr a bath cuz in my head she should be "back" already from where she has "gone." I swear I am going crazy. I thought I was more prepared for this then what I am experiencing! 😭

Sweet Yin, read your answer to me in this link. You gave me such comfort. I'm saying the same to you. I didn't survive it well at first, I know it sounds dramatic, but as a mom their leaving physically hurt me. When my heart caught up with my brain, then it got better. Big hugs. Pssssst.....you did a good job, Mama. Be sweet to yourself for a while. What you're feeling is completely normal. As a sweet person reminded me once, you're not alone.

Actually everyone gave me support and comfort that day. Such wonderful friends. That day would have been harder without you all.

http://relationships.blurtit.com/4511700/my-oldest-is-flying-the-coop-today-what-was-your-experience-when-your-child-or-you-left

I was strong in front of my son, but went home and cried in the shower so no one would hear me. Strangely enough,  he was fine and looking forward to being on his own.  Me?......I would cry just seeing his favorite cookies at the store realizing I no longer had to buy them 😢

It does get better with time and the pride you'll feel when they visit you after making it on their own is truly worth it. Remember,  this is what you have been preparing them for their whole life. 😀

It gets easier but the worry never stops. Feel proud they are spreading their wings , and they know you will always be there, if needed.

The oldest left in a fit of temper and we lost contact for some time. You can imagine how that left us feeling. The four left in ways that felt perfectly natural. It was time and we had no problems with that.

We have pretty good relationships with our kids ("kids" is a relative term -- three of the remaining four are in their 50s now and the little guy will be 44 this year -- but have tried to keep out of their way so they could do their own thing without us hovering over them all the time. That seems to be the hardest thing to get just right: It's as easy to keep too much distance as it is to be overbearing.

Well, I guess that's one benefit of having a special needs child.  My 37-year old daughter who has Down's Syndrome is still with me.  She's capable of living in a group home when the time comes, but we're both happy with this arrangement.

Not a parent, but I can say that by the time I left, being the youngest of four, I think my parents were just excited to have all of us out of the house! I still go home often as I don't live very far from where I grew up. But I do remember my mom was a bit of a wreck when my oldest sister first left for college.

We have a blended family and it was tough through all three of the kids but I think I was more proud than anything. The daily routine changed. But now there are grandkids to spend the weekend and we love when they are here.