THE EMPTY NEST SYNDROME

 

This morning I started reading an article about the empty nest syndrome. It went like this: "While the empty nest syndrome is not a medical syndrome, it can definitely lead to depressive symptoms. This syndrome not only has to do with the departure of our children from the family home, but it also gives us a glimpse of the finitude of our lives." Although it is true that when our children leave, we tend to redecorate the empty spaces for our personal use, as days go by the silence that surrounds us gradually envelops our soul. The fact that our children have the motivation to start their own journeys is undeniably a very positive event. However, as we grow older their absence becomes even more difficult to abide by. Furthermore, if we are widowed or divorced when this separation takes place, our children’s departure is even more difficult to overcome as it makes our loneliness more intense. When I finished reading the article, I remembered how this parting ways with my son had been for me one of the most difficult milestones to leave behind, so much so that sometimes at dusk I still feel that ancient nostalgia inside me. But then I tell myself that, although pain is part of life, the most important thing is to pay attention to what makes us smile: kind, responsible and grateful children.