Gwyneth Paltrow navigates ups and downs of raising young adults

Gwyneth Paltrow is adjusting to life without her kids at home. 

In a heartfelt Instagram video, the Goop founder shared her mixed emotions since her children, Apple and Moses, left for college.

"It's very different," Paltrow admitted. "I have waves of grief and sadness." Despite the emotional rollercoaster, she's embracing this new chapter.

"I am kind of getting back in touch with this part of myself that I haven't felt like since I was in my 20s before I had kids," she reflected. The extra space has sparked her creativity and imagination.

"A little more inner space for what I might want to do that day... So, it's evolving. It's interesting," Paltrow shared.

In a March 2024 interview with the Sunday Times, Paltrow acknowledged the inevitability of children growing up.

"Your kids are supposed to be 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."

Motherhood has profoundly impacted Paltrow's life.

"It's defined me and fulfilled me; it's been my guiding force for years," she said. Now, she's adapting to a new dynamic.

Apple, 20, is in her third year at Vanderbilt University, while Moses, 18, started at Brown University this fall. Paltrow shares her children with ex-husband Chris Martin.

The Iron Man actress and her current husband, Brad Falchuk, have both experienced empty nesting. Falchuk's children, Isabella and Brody, attend Cornell and Yale, respectively.

With their kids away, Paltrow listed her Los Angeles mansion for $30 million in June. According to listing agent Lea Porter, Paltrow aims to downsize, no longer needing the 8,000-square-foot home.