Now that back-to-school season is officially in full swing, that means parents are busy sending their kids to college, including many of our favorite celebrity moms. It's an emotional experience, of course, and Brooke Shields is opening up in a new Instagram post about just how emotional it can be. Now that she's dropped her youngest daughter off at school, she's officially an empty nester, and that reality can be so hard to face.
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Brooke recently helped daughter Grier move into her dorm.
She and husband Chris Henchy have two daughters, 21-year-old Rowan and 18-year-old Grier. Now that Grier is all moved in for her freshman year, she and her big sister are both at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina — a long way from where their parents live in New York City.
It seems like the fact that both her girls are out of the house is really starting to sink in for Brooke.
Brooke shared an emotional video about her 'baby birds' leaving the nest.
In this video that she posted on Instagram this week, Brooke broke down in tears. Though she acknowledged that it helped knowing they're together at the same school, it wasn't easy for her to speak through her tears.
"It’s not easy. It’s not easy for the moms. I mean it’s just so weird. It’s so weird that she's not here," she said.
The drop-off itself was emotional for everyone.
"She started crying and then I cried a good portion of the ride home," Brooke said, wiping her eyes. "So anyway, I'm an empty nester. Wow."
It's so hard to imagine what that experience will be like until it happens, and now, Brooke is in the thick of it.
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Brooke talked about raising Grier and Rowan in a new interview, too.
In a new cover interview for People, Brooke said she is in "awe" of who her daughters have grown up to be.
"All of a sudden, they’re not yours anymore," she said. "When you realize they are their own human beings, you get to meet them again. To have them reveal themselves to you, it’s a new type of 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."
She also said she's excited to see what her daughters do now that they've flown the coop.
"They’re both tough and strong-willed. The world is not going to undo them. I’m proud of who they are," she said, later adding, "I’m going to really miss them. I want to stay on the periphery but I’m also excited about what’s ahead."
Soon, there's no doubt Brooke will embrace all the positive, beautiful things about this chapter of her life – but if she needs to cry a little for now, this mama should cry all she wants!
