BROOKE SHIELDS & HER DAUGHTERS 'I'M SO PROUD OF WHO THEY ARE'

AS THE STAR PREPARES FOR AN EMPTY NEST, SHE AND HER GIRLS SHARE INTIMATE STORIES ABOUT FAMILY LIFE-AND PLENTY OF LAUGHS: 'I'M GOING TO REALLY MISS THEM'

- LIZ MCNEIL

Ask Brooke Shields how she feels about becoming an empty nester, and she replies, "I'm terrified!" Now ask her daughters. "I'm worried about me, just as much as I'm worried about her," says Grier, 18, who just started her first year at North Carolina's Wake Forest University, where Rowan, 21, is a senior. "Feelings are fraught,” says Rowan. "I mean, I've already done it, and she was a mess. I think she's really busy now, which is good. Swamp her with work!" With a mischievous glance at her mom, she jokes: "Off record, I'm hoping you and Dad rekindle the flame."

Nestled in the kitchen banquette of their Southampton, N.Y., home, which they share with Brooke's comedy-writer and producer husband, Chris Henchy, 60, and a rambunctious new puppy named Tuzi, the trio speak candidly in their first in-depth joint interview-and nothing is off-limits. Whether they're addressing the nepo-baby discourse ("My mom says, 'I can get you in a room, but I can't get you to stay there," notes Grier, a model) or their evolving relationship ("I didn't mold them, but I protected them enough so that they could become who they are and I got out of the way," says Brooke), it's clear they're an extremely tight-knit family. "The three of us have very distinct, big personalities," explains Brooke, 59. "One is a golden retriever puppy. Rowan bounces around. She's got energy. She's funny. The other is an Abyssinian cat. Grier is just very poised. She's pristine and put together." Her daughters' departure brings with it a new level of tender appreciation. "All of a sudden they are not yours anymore," Brooke says. "When you realize they are their own human beings, you get to meet them again."