Gwyneth Paltrow Is Feeling a "Deep Sense of Impending Grief" as Sons Prepare to Move Out

The Goop founder hasn't yet found an antidote to empty nester syndrome.

Gwyneth Paltrow is emotionally preparing to become an empty nester soon, and like most parents, she is not ready for an empty home. The Goop founder spoke with The Sunday Times about her son and stepson, both 17, being college-bound in the next few months and admitted that she's struggling with the idea of them being gone.

“In the fall Brad and I have boys that will be going off to university,” she said in the feature, published March 24. “It’ll be interesting to see how the morning routine changes with no kids in the house." Paltrow shares son Moses with ex-husband Chris Martin, and her stepson Brody with husband Brad Falchuk, whom he shares with ex-wife Suzanne Bukinik.

“On the one hand, incredible sadness. A deep sense of impending grief,” Paltrow added. “On the other hand, this is exactly what should be happening. Your kids are supposed to be, you know, young adults who can achieve and cope and make connections and be resilient. That’s exactly what you want. And that means they leave the house.”

While Paltrow has some acceptance about her sons preparing to leave the nest, she said that looking to her other friends who've had their children go off to college has helped with her point of view significantly.

She continued, “I’ve been so defined and so fulfilled by motherhood ... It’s like the guiding force. It’s what I return to. I observe a lot of my friends who’ve had kids who’ve gone off to college. Your kid … it changes. And, you know, they come home a lot and all that stuff, but it’s not quite the same as living under the same roof all the days of the year. So I’m just trying to be open to what that means.”

Paltrow previously talked about her kids and their plans for college — her daughter Apple Martin, who attends Vanderbilt University, was extremely adamant about attending that school. "Apple was very clear on where she wanted to go and did everything in her power to make it happen and manifested it," she told Bustle back in October.

As for Moses, he's managed to stay relaxed about the entire process. "Moses is like, 'I don't know, I like this, and I like that, and let's go back and see this, let's go back and see that one.' He's more relaxed about it," she said at the time. "He's kind of like, 'I'll be happy wherever; it's fine,' which is a great feeling."

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