‘It’s Not Easy’: Brooke Shields Explains Why Her Daughter Leaving Makes Her an ‘Empty Nester’

Brooke Shields is experiencing the bittersweet emotions of becoming an “empty nester” once again as her daughters leave for college. The famous Hollywood actress resonated with her fans when her eldest daughter, Rowan, departed for Wake Forest University in North Carolina two years ago.

This week, the 59-year-old mother had to say goodbye to her younger daughter, Grier, as she started college. Shields couldn’t hold back her tears as she shared the feelings of a mother watching her children leave the nest in a heartfelt video on her Instagram on Tuesday, August 27.

“Both of my baby birds have left the nest,” the Sahara star captioned the post, reminiscing about seeing off Rowan a year ago and now watching Grier also leave for college. Fighting back tears, Brooke Shields struggled to articulate her emotions, highlighting the challenges of being a mother in such moments.

The actress, who recently starred in the film Mother of the Bride, shared a touching moment when she dropped off Grier at college, and both mother and daughter were in tears. Shields admitted to crying most of the way back home.

In 2022, Shields opened up in a similar video about the difficulty of being an empty nester for the first time. Fans showered her with love and support, particularly acknowledging her honesty and vulnerability.

Several fans and celebrity friends, including Melissa Joan Hart and Kristin Chenoweth, expressed their support for Shields during this emotional time. Shields’ daughter had previously made headlines for wearing her mother’s wedding gown to her high school graduation in 2024.

The special bond between mother and daughters, as highlighted by Brazilian actress Carolina Ferraz, is truly unbreakable. Shields’ honest expression of her feelings as an empty nester struck a chord with many fans, especially fellow moms.