How to overcome children leaving home (Empty Nest Syndrome)

The so-called Empty Nest Syndrome is defined as the difficulty that some parents go through when their children decide to leave home to go to college, to work or simply to have their own corner. Many parents find it difficult to adapt to this change and realize that their mission as parents is finally accomplished.

O awesome.club will explain to you what this syndrome is all about and how to overcome this moment of change in the lives of children and parents.

The departure of children from home is the natural movement of life. The question is how parents deal with this separation. The syndrome occurs regardless of sex, age, marital status and other factors. In fact, psychologists attribute the problem more to the parent’s personality type than to any other type of characteristic.

So you get married, adapt to life as a couple and soon come the children: lots of diapers, crying, scribbled walls, fever, stomach ache, breakfast in the morning, going to school, lice, homework, fights between brothers , adolescence, loud music, pimples, dating, video game, red and blue notes. Until you wake up one day and the time you feared the most has arrived: your children will be leaving home soon.

This difficulty in dealing with this longing and emptiness that the children left behind affects men and women indiscriminately, but they are, according to specialists, the ones who feel the separation the most. A clue as to why this occurs may lie in the fact that women spend an average of 20.9 hours a week taking care of the family and the house, while men spend 10.8 hours — data are from the IBGE.

Some symptoms may indicate that you are suffering from this syndrome. If you have more than one of them, it’s important to see a specialist:

Deep sadness for more than six months Sleep disorders (sleeping too much or having insomnia) Mental and physical depression (you don’t feel like doing anything) Mood swings Eating disorders (excessive hunger or lack of hunger) Decreased sexual desire.

Your life was normal and not so hectic before they arrived, but today you don’t see yourself far from them. After all, he spent almost two decades caring for, guiding, fighting, solving, teaching and now he sees that his “mission was well accomplished” and they will go to college or to that dream job in another state or even in another country.

Now is the time to experience what experts call post-parenthood, which does not necessarily have to be a phase of suffering, not least because there was not, effectively, a loss, but just a change of routine.

Remember that one day you left your parents’ house to study, live alone or start a family and that this is natural, healthy and the course of life. Understand that if they were able to leave and try life without your help it is because your work was well done and that phase is over, but that this does not mean that the children will abandon you.

A new cycle only begins in life if you end the previous one; so leave the role of overprotective father or mother aside and start taking care of yourself more. Rediscover the pleasure of being alone with your spouse (yes, date a lot), cultivate friends, go out more… the important thing is to understand that life doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s more of a fresh start. Believe me, you weren’t born to be just a mother or father.

You know that dance course that was never taken because it was on the other side of town and there was no time to pick up the kids from school? Or that college you always dreamed of doing, but never did because you couldn’t leave your kids home alone?

You’ve probably stopped doing something you wanted because of chores related to kids and work. So this is the time: discover something that gives you pleasure and that you’ve always dreamed of doing, but never had the time: try new hobbies, make new friends, study, exercise, create a blog, discover new things.

It is very likely that at some point in your life as a parent or parent, you dreamed of having time for yourself while your children followed their own lives. As we said, the time is now.

Remember, finally, that your children leaving home will probably improve your relationship, as they will understand (albeit in the most practical way) many of the things you told them about, for example, handle your own money and take care of the house. And that, as we said, takes the relationship between parents and children to another level.

Did you identify with the symptoms? Ever wondered what you’ll do when your kids grow up? tell us