'It's a brutal adjustment': How to cope when your child goes to uni
Other parents have sheepishly confessed they're doing the same.Across universities, some enterprising parents have set up the sort of WhatsApp group chats you'd more typically find being used when children are at school. Based in Cheshire, she shares her experience of being an "empty nester" on social media."It's a huge emotional adjustment after years of your life revolving around your children, so we need to give ourselves time and permission to miss them. "You don't stop being a parent when they leave home - but you do get the opportunity to rediscover parts of yourself that perhaps got a little lost along the way.
- ▪Other parents have sheepishly confessed they're doing the same.Across universities, some enterprising parents have set up the sort of WhatsApp group chats you'd more typically find being used when children are at school.
- ▪Based in Cheshire, she shares her experience of being an "empty nester" on social media."It's a huge emotional adjustment after years of your life revolving around your children, so we need to give ourselves time and permission to miss them
- ▪"You don't stop being a parent when they leave home - but you do get the opportunity to rediscover parts of yourself that perhaps got a little lost along the way.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6evwmzxdn4do?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:03:51 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-26T01:35:59.595Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-26T01:35:59.595Z |
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'It's a brutal adjustment': How to cope when your child goes to uni Image source, Getty ImagesByKirstie BrewerBBC NewsPublished2 hours agoLuke felt overwhelmed with both pride and grief after dropping his son off at university for the first time."It feels like a brutal adjustment," he says."After 18 years of seeing him every day and taking care of him, I miss him so much and I don't really know what to do with myself."Like other parents we have spoken to, Luke (not his real name) and his wife have felt compelled to regularly check a Facebook group for parents and carers with children living in the same halls of residence, as well as a university-wide version with more than 2,000 members.Social media groups fuelling anxiety At first, being in these groups felt helpful for practical…
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