He moves in with his girlfriend or she goes to another city to take her lessons. Your child leaves the house to take off on his own, what to do? Be reassured! “The first important thing is to trust him, to tell himself that he will fend for himself. He will perhaps have a difficult time but it will serve as an apprenticeship”, explains Stéphanie Astori, psychologist and family therapist.
“Parents often experience the departure of their child as the break-up of the family unit when it is only the end of one stage and the beginning of another. Family ties must be reorganized: the parents will pass. from the role of nurturer to that of parents of a young adult “, continues the psychologist. “Helping your child to become an adult, it is precisely to help him. You have to find the right measure without cutting the bridges. Parents must encourage the child by saying:” I think you can do it alone, you can. “They can also tell him about their own, sometimes difficult, experience when they left the family home.”
Empty nest syndrome
When the child leaves, a vacuum settles in the house. “The parents will then have to” renegotiate “their relationship. It is for them either a second honeymoon or on the contrary the moment when disagreements and faults appear. The young adult may fear putting his parents in difficulty by leaving because this sometimes confronts them with marital problems put aside. “
If faced with this new stage, you cannot manage your anxieties, do not hesitate to seek help from a psychologist or through family interviews.
