An expat family’s life is full of adventure and challenges. From picking a school to learning a new language, there is never a dull moment. But what happens when the kids grow up and you need to face the next assignment alone? This is when ‘empty nester syndrome’ might kick in.
Feelings of loss
Children grow up and move out. This is inevitable and naturally hard on parents at first. ‘Empty nester syndrome’ is described by psychologists as the feelings of loss and grief that parents experience while adjusting to the significant changes associated with kids leaving home. Suddenly the house is quieter, the fridge doesn’t need constant restocking and laundry doesn’t pile up like before.
Hard on expat families
Stay-at-home parents might feel this more intensely, because their life once revolved around their children’s schedules and they aren’t used to now having so much free time. When it comes to expat families, the empty nest also means your kids might move thousands of kilometres away from your host location, making it difficult to keep in touch and thus harder to overcome the initial sadness.
Meaningful activities
To avoid being trapped in the grieving process, experts suggest that parents invest in meaningful activities such as a new hobby or occupation. Planning family holidays and activities in advance might also keep the mind busy and be something to look forward to. Finally, the empty nest can be a great opportunity to rekindle romance in a relationship and to make new friends.
Source: Psychology Today
Photo: Julio Ignacio Olivares – Flickr
