Empty nest can bring heartbreak

It’s natural, but that’s no solace when your child moves out, says Rachel Borrill.

IT is the time of year that parents dread. They are proud of their child as they wave them goodbye for college, but then they have to cope with the profound emotions of returning home to an empty nest.

Two years ago, when Marian O’Connor’s oldest child, Gavin, 20, left home because of his job, she was “desperately upset’’ and it took her a long time to adjust to his absence. Now, her daughter Shauna, 19, is starting college, and Marian, who is divorced, knows she will be “heartbroken’’ again.