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In May, she said on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show that her daughters still sleep on her bed and watch romcoms with her whenever her husband goes on work trips.
At the screening of her Netflix romcom, “Mother of the Bride” in May, Shields told Entertainment Tonight that she would be a “mess” when Grier heads off to college.
“But I know that they’re going to come back,” she said. “I mean, my older daughter comes back often and, you know, they’ll be my babies forever.”
How to cope with an empty nest
Dealing with an empty nest can be difficult for parents.
In 2023, Cristine Struble shared three tips with Business Insider on how she and her husband adjusted to their empty nest.
They learned to say “yes” to social gatherings they previously never had the time to attend and learned to let themselves take naps. They also strived to focus on their relationship since their child was no longer their priority.
“During this back-to-school season, the nest might be empty, but we are embracing the bounty of opportunities ahead,” Struble wrote.
Other parents have coped by embracing their newfound solitude.
Veronica I. Arreola, a divorced empty nester, told BI that she overcame her “mom guilt” and took a three-week solo trip to New Zealand.
“I spent 18 years preparing my daughter to go out and explore the world,” she wrote. “To do that myself is awesome.”
A representative for Shields did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.