Over two months in, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth are still trying to find solace in life as empty nesters after both their daughters officially left the family home.
This August, their daughter Harper, 18, departed the home to begin her new life at college, as George, 62, and Ali, 58, dropped her off at her new home, Vanderbilt University.
Harper followed in the footsteps of her older sister, 21-year-old Elliott, who just started her junior year at Brown University and was the first to leave the nest.
In a new photo Ali shared on Instagram, it looked like it was still an uneasy adjustment to make, as she captioned a photograph of the couple posing side-by-side: "Trying to put on a brave front. #emptynesters."
Fans were sympathetic and shared their own empty nester stories in the comments, leaving responses like: "Life is never the same, but there are good things coming your way – parent weekends, holiday homecomings, new jobs, weddings, then grandchildren. Fun times ahead!!"
Another wrote: "It's tough. We found something to take our minds off of it. Pickleball!! Now our kids can rarely get a hold of us," while a third added: "It's so hard to give them their wings to fly," and a fourth commented: "Holiday Breaks are just around the corner."
© InstagramAfter dropping Harper off at college in the fall, the actress shared a snap of herself and George walking away hand in hand, and emotionally wrote alongside it: "We dropped our baby off at college. Everyone is saying 'she's ready to launch'! But… I don't think I'm ready!
"I don't want to stop making pasta with vodka sauce, picking up wet towels, cuddling up to her familiar scent. As Joni Mitchell once wrote – 'the bed's too big, the frying pan too wide'."
© InstagramShe continued: "I know our daughter will thrive. But man, it's brutal on the parents. If you feel inclined – please send me baked goods. I'll be under my covers."
MORE: George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth embrace in new photo as they 'deal with the pain'
George's Good Morning America co-anchor, Lara Spencer, felt the exact same after dropping her own daughter, Katharine, off at Vanderbilt the same weekend.
© InstagramShe commented on Ali's photo: "I hear you sister. I am at the airport with a giant lump in my throat. I don't want to leave. It's going to feel too real. The house will be too quiet. The music won't be blaring. Her room will be neat. My clothes will not be missing. I don't like it one bit."
MORE: George Stephanopoulos’s wife Ali Wentworth admits to dealing with 'dark times'
Speaking with GMA online, George said of his daughter's big move: "It's a huge adventure for Harper. She's never lived in Nashville before and the campus was amazing."
© Getty ImagesOf the prospect of becoming empty nesters, he added: "Ali and I met and got married within nine months, and had a baby nine months later, so we've never known a house without kids really." The parents' advice for their youngest was to "go with the flow. Be engaged. Be curious."
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