There will be a grieving period for the siblings left behind. After the college teen leaves, there’s a feeling of grief and guilt for feeling sad. This feeling is rarely discussed because of the shame associated with feeling sad about a happy event.

Isn’t this the way things are supposed to be?

Isn’t the goal of parenting is to have your child fly when they become adults?

It’s not like they are going off to war or they died. So do you even have the right to be sad?

You need to allow your other children to mourn and be sad about missing their sibling. There is a void in your family, a deep emptiness, and you feel like you’re grieving.

We need to create a school system which addresses 21st century issues and can help our kids get ready for the world after high school graduation.