Is Empty Nest a Myth?

You saw it coming for eighteen years, and the moment is here: Your child is going off to college. You’ve likely heard of “Empty Nest Syndrome,” wherein a child’s departure for college and adulthood is said to be such an emotional burden that it’s unnerving, uncomfortable, and even painful. This theory also suggests that the emotions that parents experience is even more difficult to endure than the stresses of raising small children.

New research, however, says the opposite. Is Empty Nest exag...