Kelly Ripa is working through her empty-nest syndrome by sharing a throwback photo of her three children on their first day of elementary school, way back in 2008.

“#tbt 2008 First day of school,” the Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host captioned the image of husband Mark Consuelos posing with their three children, Michael, now 24, Lola, now 20, and Joaquin, now 18, when they were young. Earlier this week, the married couple shipped their youngest child off to the University of Michigan, memorialized by a selfie of them collapsed on a couch. “So far we are crushing this empty nest thing,” wrote Ripa. The couple’s other two children chose New York University, where Lola is a junior and Michael just graduated.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTU4IoNrGqp/

A post shared by Kelly Ripa (@kellyripa)

Empty Nest Syndrome is a term for the sadness felt by many parents when their children leave home and achieve complete independence. The Mayo Clinic suggests that parents experiencing these feelings seek emotional support and keep in contact with their kids while also finding joy in hobbies or partnerships.

The talk show host and actor are just one celebrity couple who recently sent their children to college — Brooke Shields teared up on the drive home after dropping off daughter Rowan at school where she will be “spreading her wings.” Meanwhile, Vanessa Bryant got emotional when leaving her daughter Natalia at school for the first time, and Candace Cameron Bure shared a photo of herself hugging her son Maksim at the airport as he left for his first year in college. “I’m so excited for him, although as his mama, and him being the baby, I’m so [sad]” the Fuller House star expressed with an emoji.

On the bright side, Ripa and Consuelos will now have free time to focus on romance — the couple recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, for which Ripa inked her arm with their wedding date: “5.1.95.”

These celebrity moms make us all feel better when they share the highs and lows of parenting.

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