The Gerber Life Parenting Blog

You knew that it would happen someday, and now it has. Your youngest child or your only child has moved out of your home and now it feels strange. Most likely, you have mixed feelings about this event.

If you have a sense of sadness or loss, you may be experiencing what’s known as “empty nest syndrome.” This is not a clinical diagnosis but a phrase that sociologists coined to describe feelings of unhappiness or difficulty in adjusting to a new phase in life that many parents feel once their children have moved out.

If you are having trouble adjusting to this new time in your life, here are the latest insightful findings and ways on how to deal with empty-nest syndrome:

It may seem like yesterday that you were a kid running around the neighborhood with friends, water balloons in tow, leaving a scene of wet destruction in your wake. We may outgrow water balloons and T-shirts and hairstyles, but some things we should never have to outgrow. One of them is a sense of humor. Another is a life insurance policy.

When you apply for the Gerber Life Grow-Up® Plan¹, which provides whole life insurance for kids, you’ll lock in a child-sized premium rate that never goes up during the life of the policy.

Watch our short video to learn how the Gerber Life Grow-Up® Plan can actually grow with your child – and all of your children – for up to a lifetime, and for as little as pennies a day.

As the first week of school approaches, you begin to notice a change in your child. Maybe he or she becomes nervous at the mention of starting a new school year or throws a fit every time someone brings up the subject of meeting his or her new teacher.

What could those changes mean?

For some children, acting out or withdrawing or complaining of small physical pains such as a headache could be signs of back-to-school anxiety, notes Jeremy Pettit, an associate professor of psychology at Florida International University. If you notice any of those signs as your child prepares for the upcoming school year, try these tips for easing his or her anxiety:

Several months into the school year, children usually receive a report card about their academic progress, but – unlike years ago – not necessarily about their social skills and the progress they’re making socially.

If you’re concerned about how your child is progressing socially, you could call your child’s teacher or ask the teacher directly. If you learn that your child is having a difficult time, perhaps the following tips for teaching social skills to a child will lead to success:

Many people realize that having a written Will is important, since it explains how you want your money and personal possessions to be distributed after your death. Unfortunately, many people also keep postponing drafting a Will because they are unsure of how to proceed or decide on certain aspects, or because they want to attend to issues that they believe to be more pressing.

Surprisingly, reports the legal resource center LexisNexis, about 55 percent of adults in the United States don’t have a Will.

If that statistic includes you, then consider drafting a Will sooner rather than later. Here’s why: Without a Will, distribution of your money and personal possessions is left up to the state, which can lead to conflict within your family – or even cause assets to go to the state.

To avoid such issues, here are some basic tips for preparing a Will: