My son is in his first year of college, but he's already saying he'll never live at home again. I'm devastated but proud.

• 01/02/2025, 9:49 AM
• businessinsider.com

FG Trade Latin/Getty Images

Anyone who's parented a child to adulthood knows letting them fly off into the world is equal parts rough and rewarding. There can be an initial sense of mourning or even profound loss when they set out on their own — one that experts say is a normal part of the empty nest transition.