THE S EMPTY NEST FAMILIES ADAPT AS GRADUATES DEPART
Text by JULIE CORNFIELD, KAITLYN HO and ZAKIR AHMAD Art by BRITNEY FAN
IX MONTHS FROM NOW, Palo Alto High School senior Maddie Hareâs lacrosse stick wonât be sitting by the glass-paned front door of her home. Her two-pound AP Psychology textbook wonât be splayed out on the dining room table. Hare wonât even be sleeping in her own bed. Sheâll be across the country in New Jersey, attending college as a giddy freshman on the precipice of an adventure sheâs been anticipating since she first started attending school. Hare, like the numerous other students who are graduating this May, will depart from home at the end of the summer in pursuit of a higher education and thrilling new experiences. But as she and her classmates move onto the next phase of their lives, they leave behind parents and siblings who must figure out how to adjust to the sudden absence of a family member. Not all families react to the departure of a family member the same way, and not all students experience the same emotions as they prepare to pack up their belongings and vacate their homes. All, however, must navigate a shifting family dynamic and evolving personal identity as the prospect of the empty nest becomes reality. In this story, Verde features three families at different stages of this process, each of whom are figuring out how to find comfort within change and happiness amidst heartache. Anticipating adjustment Perched in her plush purple chair, Maddie Hareâs mother, Anne, rests her cheek on the back of her hand, muffling her otherwise steady voice. âI think thereâs going to be quite an abrupt â I donât want use the word loss, itâs too strong â but greater than change, less than loss,â she drifts off. From the opposite side of the room, Maddie chimes in. âShift,â she says. âShift,â Anne echoes.
20
MAY 2018
