Gwyneth Paltrow on Becoming an Empty Nester: “I Have Waves of Grief and Sadness”

Seeing their kids moving out of the house and being on their own in a scary world is something that most parents have a hard time handling. The Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has recently gone through this experience and is still processing the fact that she became an empty nester.

During a recent Q&A session on Instagram, Paltrow was asked, “How’s life as a free bird?” by one of the fans and decided to be completely honest about it. Paltrow’s 18-year-old son Moses went to college this year, while his 20-year-old sister Apple has been away from home for a couple of years now.

“It’s very different. I have waves of grief and sadness,” Paltrow responded while thanking the fan for asking.

However, it isn’t all that bad. The Avengers star went on to say that the experience also had its benefits, including more opportunities to focus on things she was passionate about before having kids.

“Like, a little more space and imagination, maybe. A little more inner space for what I might want to do that day, stuff like that,” she added. “… So, it’s evolving. It’s interesting.”

Paltrow shares Moses and Apple with ex-husband and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Paltrow and Martin separated in 2014 and officially divorced in 2016. However, the two still remain in a great relationship and occasionally take vacations together with Moses and Apple.