An empty nest can bring tough times for parents — and opportunity for growth

SALT LAKE CITY — A new school year means your last kid might have just moved out, making your home an empty nest.

It’s a bittersweet time for parents who are watching their children leave. But experts say it’s parents’ time to grow and make time for things they never got to do.

“It’s not easy for the moms. It’s just so weird. It’s so weird that she’s not here,” Brook Shields said.

She couldn’t hide her emotions when she dropped her two daughters off at college.

“It was really hard. And then she started crying. And I really started crying,” she said.

Shields is now one of the 22 million “empty nesters” in the U.S. — parents whose kids have grown up and moved away.

To help these parents, Allie Hill wrote the book, “The Girlfriends’ Guide to Empty Nesting.”

“I was the worst empty nester when we started, which is why I do what I do,” Hill said.

It’s natural for parents to have overwhelming feelings of grief.

How to keep underage students alcohol free? Have ongoing talks, experts say

“I have one daughter. She went up to college and took my heart with her, and then I was left to figure it out,” Hill said.

She said it’s good to feel your feelings and then do the things you’ve always dreamed of.

“Maybe you want to look at water coloring or dog walking or traveling the world,” Hill said.

Your relationship with your now-adult kid is changing — and that will take some getting used to.

“Don’t rush right in to be a fixer. You are now more of a guidance counselor,” Hill said. “All that love that you had (for) your children and you get to turn it on yourself, which is a lot easier said than done.”

As tough as it seems right now, things will get better.

For more advice on navigating the empty nester journey, you can follow Allie Hill on Instagram.