‘A feeling of grief and loneliness parents may feel when their children leave home for the first time to live on their own or attend University’.

That’s the dictionary definition of empty nest syndrome, which I think should be expanded to include both starting school and going back after the summer holidays too.

empty nest syndrome

I don’t know about you, but after six looong weeks kicking about at home now the oldest is back at school, the middle one has started reception and the youngest is back at nursery the house is eerily quiet.

So much so that I’ve started to notice certain things that bear an uncanny resemblance to the symptoms of so-called empty nest syndrome, leading me to believe back-to-school empty nest syndrome is a thing too.

10 signs you’re suffering from back-to-school empty nest syndrome

1. The silence at home is deafening. Literally ringing in your ears.

2. You tidy up after breakfast and realise – with delight – that everything stays exactly where you put it until well into the afternoon.

empty nest syndrome

3. You fill the fridge with a week’s worth of lunch options as normal – only to realise there’s no-one to eat it because they’re having school dinners.

4. You vaguely miss the morning episode of Mr Tumble. Only vaguely, though.

empty nest syndrome

5. And the CBeebies lunchtime song. (Don’t pretend you don’t know the one I mean!)

6. You wonder what they’re doing right now. And again in 10 minutes time. And 10 minutes after that.

empty nest syndrome

7. You can drink a whole cup of tea in one go. Hot. And feel a little bit sad about it.

8. You can eat a whole bar of chocolate without hiding in a kitchen cupboard. Which kind of takes the fun out of it.

empty nest syndrome

9. You find yourself logging on to their online learning diary several times a day. Just in case anything new has been uploaded.

10. You wonder if they need any help hearing the kids reading in the classroom. Even though they haven’t actually started learning to read yet.

empty nest syndrome

Are you suffering with a touch of the back-to-school blues? Would you add anything to my list? I’d love to know what it is!

If you liked this you may also enjoy reading:

To my son’s teacher on his first day of school – I’m sorry

Why I won’t be contributing to the teacher’s Christmas gift collection

10 sure-fire signs the school holidays have started