They grow up, we suffer. They spread their wings. We feel lost without them. They will NEVER understand it until they have children of their own. When boy left for Marine boot camp, I really did not function for 13 weeks. I went thru the motions, but I was not functioning. I changed my lunch hour so I could check the mail every day, I wrote him letters, sometimes twice a day, the entire time he was there. It broke my heart. They grow, we grow. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband, who was also lonely without having him in the house. Now we have found ways to grow. We got bikes, we go on vacations. It hurts, but you find a new "self" after they are gone. You never, ever get over the "emptiness" once they are gone, but you re-arrange your life. I still love when my boy drops by.