Hard time letting go. Brooke Shields opened up about sending her children off to college – and how difficult the process can actually be.
“Turns out second time is NOT the charm when it comes to your baby going off to college,” Shields, 57, captioned an Instagram video on Thursday, August 18, in which she documented saying goodbye daughter Rowan as she headed off to Wake Forest University. “Sophomore year, here she comes. I’ll be crying if you need me… 😭❤️”
In the clip, the model, who has been open with her struggles with postpartum depression throughout the years, detailed the tough experience of watching your children grow up and “leave you” behind.
“So I just waved my daughter goodbye again and I thought it would be easier the second time,” the On My Own author explained. “She’s already been away and been with me all summer, but … I’m not making the drive with her, she’s driving with her dad. … It was just too painful, I don’t think I could go through the driving away from campus again.”
Hoping to connect with other parents struggling to let their kids grow up, the Suddenly Susan alum added, “So if there’s anyone else going through this, we’re all in it together.”
Shields, who shares daughters Rowan, 19 and Grier, 16, with husband Chris Henchy, concluded her post with a photo of her eldest teen in her “graduation present car,” captioning the snap, “Ugh, it’s so hard. I miss her already.”
In November, the mom of two revealed on an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan that her daughter’s freshman year at college was the “worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” before cohost Kelly Ripa assured her that it would get “easier” as time goes on.
“You want them to be happy but you really don’t want them to be happy,” Shields joked as Ryan Seacrest added, “You want them to need to come back.”
In November 2021, Shields spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about the challenges of the new life transition. “I miss her every day,” the Golden Globe nominee gushed at Glamour’s Women of the Year in New York City.
Two months prior, the Cabaret performer told her Instagram followers that she wore waterproof mascara when Rowan left high school. “My baby girl’s graduation and she performed at the celebration,” Shields captioned June photos and videos from the milestone moment.
“My unique and extraordinary baby girl spreading her wings,” Shields wrote via Instagram at the time. “I love you so. We are so proud of you. This was the saddest drive away from anywhere I’ve ever had to make. But my baby is BEGINNING one of the most important adventures of her life to date … NOW!”
While raising her girls, the Blue Lagoon actress exclusively told Us that she was intentional about making them work summer jobs, noting that Rowan and Grier were both proud to “get a paycheck every week.”
“This was their hard-earned money,” the Endless Love star explained. “And they realized how hard it was to get that check, that piece of paper. … At first, they just handed [the checks] to me and said, ‘Well, can you put this somewhere?’ And then it became, ‘OK, let’s show you how this works.’ There are baby steps.”
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