The Empty Nest Nobody Warned You About

On grief, growth, and letting go of a child

Two years ago, my older child left for university. I thought I was ready. I had the pride part down. What caught me off guard was the grief of watching a chapter of my life close while I was still, technically, living inside the next one. Nobody had told me that loving a transition and grieving it could happen in the same breath, or that a stage of parenthood could end even while I still had a child at home.

This September, I am doing it again. My daughter Mila, my youngest, is leaving for university in another city, and this time the ground under me feels different. This is what I have learned about grieving a stage of life you also wanted, and what I wish someone had told me the first time.