Dad experiencing 'empty nester blues' on his grocery run shares an important message for parents

Parents with one or more kids at home often get exhausted and can not wait for some alone time. After several tiresome years of parenting, one might think parents would be relieved when they sent their kids off to college. However, that's not the case. A gush of melancholy sweeps in as the "empty nester" syndrome hits them. Jeff Pearlman, a sportswriter and a New York Times best-selling author—who goes by @jeffpearlmanauthor on TikTok—realized only recently that the "empty nester blues" are a thing. It struck him during a trip to the grocery store. 

In the video Pearlman shared earlier this September, he said he recently dropped his son off at college. When he went on a grocery run to his local supermarket, the dad of two couldn't help but take a trip down memory lane. Seeing the vegetable aisle where there were pumpkins for sale, the author recalled how he used to pick out pumpkins with his kids a few years ago. "I'm here and I see dads and moms with their kids in the cart and that used to be me with my kids in the cart. It actually hit me, it actually hit me that the house is empty," he said. 

He then got emotional about taking the "little things," like taking his kids to the supermarket, for granted. Though parents may wish to leave their kids at home while going on grocery runs because of how frustrating it might get, Pearlman misses those moments now. He pointed out how there was nothing much to buy because his kids weren't at home and shopping for Halloween candy didn't make as much sense as it did before. "It just changes everything and it is an adjustment. I just want to say that if you have your kids at home, please appreciate them and understand that it goes very fast," the empty nester concluded.

Pearlman's video went viral with over 427K views in less than a week. Fellow empty nesters could relate to this dad and parents with kids at home were glad they saw this video. "I’m in the same boat. It's the most painful thing I've ever felt. I feel lost but hoping it gets easier," wrote @arblc20. "It is a huge adjustment. Getting to have daily real conversations with them, not just texting. Laughing together. It is rough. The house is so still," mentioned @christinasananton6.  "Thanks, Jeff. I'm 41, making breakfast for three kids and they're fighting over clothes and getting ready for school. This is my reminder to savor it," remarked @user3472465254254. "My kids are 5 and 1. This is my biggest fear. I think about it every day. I want these moments to last forever," added @islasdaddy2.

On a similar note, a tear-jerking video of a father getting emotional while seeing his daughter off to college went viral on the internet. A mom—who goes by @kellibest0 on TikTok—recorded her husband's reaction after dropping off their daughter at college. There weren't many tears but the man's expressions as his loving daughter walked away said it all. He couldn't take his eyes off her and stood nailed to the ground for a while. "Caught my husband watching his life walk away from him after we dropped off our daughter at college," the mom captioned the video and parents on the internet could relate to it.

You can follow Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlmanauthor) on TikTok for sports content.