Posted by Jade on October 11, 2000, at 11:32:27
In reply to You Know You Have Empty Nest Syndrome When......, posted by Jade on October 11, 2000, at 11:23:41
News You Can Use--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Empty nest syndrome: For the birds
University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Brooke Adams
July 31, 2000STARKVILLE, Miss-With the back-to-school season approaching, parents whose youngest child is heading off to college may worry over the so-called "empty nest syndrome."
Don't be too concerned, advises an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University. Why? Because empty nest syndrome "is a myth," says Carolyn Adams-Price.
"Most parents actually are happier when their children leave the house," she adds. "They have more private time together and many times marriages improve."
Since parenting teenagers can be very stressful, it may almost be a relief when all the kids finally have left home.
Adams-Price says parents usually feel "satisfaction and pride" when their children enter college because of the realization that they have successfully launched the child into the larger world. If there are sad feelings, the cause may be a realization that they didn't spend more time with their children during adolescence.
With the added free time, parents usually find time to do things they may never have done. Many couples begin to travel or begin new hobbies. Some women who have never worked may return to college or begin a career.
"Of course, there will be times when parents miss their children, especially in the first few weeks," Adams-Price says. "Most likely, however, homesickness is more common with the children than with the parents."
Communication is the key for helping homesickness, she adds. For parents experiencing loneliness for a child, she recommends telephone calls and, if available, e-mail.
"E-mail can be the best way to stay close because the child can answer the message when he or she wishes. Parents sometimes can feel discouraged when they telephone a child and he or she is not there to answer."
For questions or information about this page, contact Kay Fike Jones.
For questions or information about Mississippi State University, contact msuinfo@ur.msstate.edu.Last modified: Tuesday, 01-Aug-2000 14:39:54 CDT.
URL: http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/~dur/nycu/emptynest.htm
Mississippi State University does not discriminate.
poster:Jade
thread:21
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/child/20000813/msgs/29.html