My last child left on his 18th birthday. Anxious anticipation can also accompany grief as you gear up to let your child go out into the world as an adult. When the last child leaves home it sometimes feels as if you are waking up next to a stranger rather than your husband, wife or partner. The parent’s financial assistance may be needed for the establishment of children. It is completely normal for you to experience grief-like symptoms prior to the day arriving when your child leaves home. I am enjoying being a grand parent now. Your child's senior year is pressure-filled with worries about college applications and acceptances, concerns with maintaining grades and doing many things for the last time. Typical grieving symptoms include crying, feeling on edge, difficulty sleeping and change in appetite. The daily rhythm and family interactions change considerably when your first child leaves home. (Or what did you do?) When a child moves out, that time we once spent caring for our child belongs to us again, and while that may feel strange it's important for you to try and redirect your focus back to yourself. We have turned his bedroom into a guest/workout room. Listen to When the Last Child Leaves Home from Melinda Schneider's Happy Tears for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. They spend so … Sometimes the void creates subtle but powerful changes, like one less good night kiss. It is a period of adjustment for parents and children.

I wouldn't dream of spending more time at my kids home. What are you going to do on the day your last child leaves home? It's best to say out loud how you feel about your child… My husband and I are ecstatic. I've been a parent for almost 40 years and I'm ready for retirement. Crack open the champagne and dance naked around the house I probably won't notice. We have had children in our home … This can be caused by years of concentrating on what the family has needed, leaving little space or time for the two of you as a couple. This stage begins when the first child leaves home as a young adult and ends when the last child leaves home for a life of his or her own. Other changes can be easily measured, like the weekly food bill. It is marked by the departure of young adult for service or marriage. As you may imagine, this is a time for reflection. Our last child — our only daughter, our only adopted one — just graduated from high school.