“Empty nest syndrome refers to the distress and other complicated emotions that parents often experience when their children leave home.

Of course, people want their children to grow up and lead independent lives. However, the experience of letting go is often bittersweet or emotionally challenging. Parents may feel lonely, sad, and have some degree of grief when their children leave the nest, whether it’s to live on their own, start a college career, or pursue their own relationships. Women normally suffer more than men do, and feelings of sadness may be more pronounced among stay-at-home parents whose lives were organized around meeting the everyday needs of their children.

This empty nest syndrome that many parents of adult children experience is not a clinical disorder or diagnosis. It reflects the emotional ambivalence of a normal life transitional period.”

Psychology Today (Empty Nest Syndrome | Psychology Today)