Emptying the Nest. Again.
Many young adults moved back in with their parents during the pandemic. Now the parents are facing a second exodus.
Credit...Rose Wong
May 14, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
When Kristine Mestaz’s son, Jeremy Cunningham, now 20, moved to Arizona for college, she was sad but supportive and grew accustomed to his absence. Then the pandemic happened and her nest was refilled: He returned home to Auburn, Calif., in March 2020 for spring break, but didn’t leave, as his school, Arizona State University, went online.
“I have loved every minute of it,” Ms. Mestaz said. She taught Jeremy, who is her only child, how to cook; they went on daily walks, watched movies and discussed world events. Now, after more than a year at home, he’s heading back to Arizona at the end of May to begin an internship. Though she knows her son needs to move on with his life, Ms. Mestaz said she is already missing him. “I know I have to be an empty nester again. I know he has to be on his own. But my heart hurts.”