For parents across the UK, their not-so-little baby will soon be off to university or college when the summer is over. Time has flown, and the nest will soon be empty – or at least, emptier than it was. Sociological research on the empty nest transition shows that it can be a time of both gain and loss for parents, especially those who have been hugely involved in the day to day lives of their children.
Holly Tucker, 49, entrepreneur and founder of both Not on The High Street and Holly&Co, lives in Twickenham, London with her husband Frank. Before their only child Harry went off to study archeology at university three years ago, Holly would burst into tears at the very thought of him leaving. Now that she’s through the other side of it, she tells The i Paper the lessons she learnt, how she coped, and what advice she’d give to parents who will soon be dropping their child off at their university halls for the first time.
I’ve wanted to be a mum since I was a young girl. I just knew it was the thing I was born to do. Then, when my only child applied to university, the thought of him going made me feel absolute desperation. I found it incredibly difficult. In the year leading up to it, I was just beside myself, always in tears. I was so worried about how I’d cope.
