Searching for a new horizon Wading through Empty Nest Syndrome

As a parent – “There are two gifts we give to our children: one is the roots and the other one is the wings”. As we want our children to deeply rooted on to their roots, we should give them opportunities so that they will also be enabled and equipped to fly to their own destinies.

- Dr. Anuradha Sathiyaseelan & Sree Rajeev & Protikhya Kotoky

Let us look into the banana plantation – The moment a small plant comes underneath the mother plant it will be taken out and placed in a different place independently – this enables both mother and the child to grow and bear fruits. In the world of the birds – the moment the small one gets the wings and capable of flying the parents leaves them so that they can find their own destiny.

But only in human beings we don’t go completely independent and will be in close connection with our parents and offspring’s that is the beauty of the human beings. While this is widely practiced all over the world, a very important phenomenon called empty nest syndrome should also be addressed as it is increasing in our families now due to increasing small families.

As the offspring leaves for higher studies and for job, the home – the nest becomes empty and creates a void. A “Void” is a feeling of complete emptiness.

The Void left in a mother’s womb after childbirth ironically mirrors the emotional emptiness and longing felt when a child moves away from their parents and home. Physical Separation in both these parental milestones marks loss in a space once filled with love, affection and profound purpose.

We often talk about postpartum depression after the fetus is born leading to worry, stress and anxiety. The distress felt by parents when children venture into living on their own, should receive the attention it deserves. This feeling is what psychologists call the “Empty Nest Syndrome”.