Empty Nest Syndrome

Sylvia walks into Beth's room and sits down on the bed. There, piled up on the pillows are all the stuffed animals that she had given her over the years. Fluffy bunny was given to her daughter on her first Easter. He looks at her now with a sad look in his eyes, or so it seems to her. She picks him up and hugs him to her breast, and it somehow makes her feel close to her daughter. Sylvia looks around the room at the trophies that her daughter received for her many academic achievements. Beth always was smart in school, and now she is gone to college, to a new life without her. The memories come flooding back: the day she brought Beth home from the hospital, she was so tiny; the first day of kindergarten, she felt lost then too, but not this bad; and the first time she went out on a date. It seemed like yesterday. Sylvia begins to cry. Sylvia is a fictitious character, but the sadness and emptiness that can accompany a child leaving home for the first time is real. It is called the Empty Nest Syndrome, and can be devastating for a parent. Even though it can affect both parents, more times than not, it is the mother who suddenly finds herself with these feelings of being lost and alone. The affects can vary, depending on different factors. For instance, when the mother is divorced and living alone, it can be particularly difficult. When a mother has been a stay at home mom, she might feel that life is over, that she has no purpose in living. In severe cases, when depression is severe or last a long time, counseling may be needed. What some people don