Garcelle Beauvais is opening up about the emotional reality of becoming an empty nester.
While speaking during the People Inc. Black Affinity Group’s Legacy Chat series earlier this month, the actress and former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star opened up about what life has been like now that her sons are all grown up.
“Oh my God, the house feels different already,” she shared. “ [Like] the energy feels different.”
The actress admitted there are moments when the reality of becoming an empty nester suddenly hits her.
“Every now and then I burst into tears because it’s not like the day-to-day of motherhood anymore,” she explained. “What’s for dinner? I can’t make your game. Oh my God, we need 25 cupcakes. All those little things.”
Beauvais is mom to three sons: Oliver Saunders, whom she welcomed in 1991, and 18-year-old twins Jax Joseph Nilon and Jaid Thomas Nilon.
Now that the twins are older, she said watching them move through life on their own has been an adjustment.
“They’re both driving,” she said. “The other day they both drove and met me for dinner. Yeah, it’s different.”
She also revealed that her son Jaid is preparing for another major step.
“Jaid is moving to New York to start his modeling career,” Beauvais shared.
Although she is proud of her children, she feels the transition is “gonna be hard.”
Beauvais has often spoken publicly about motherhood over the years, including her experience becoming a mom to twins later in life. Back in 2007, she welcomed Jax and Jaid with her former husband, talent agent Michael “Mike” Nilon.
At the time, the actress described the boys as completely different from the very beginning.
“Jax came out screaming while Jaid came out looking both serious and curious about the world around him,” she previously shared in a blog post for PEOPLE.
She also reflected on the challenges she faced while trying to conceive.
“I learned the hard way that trying to have babies when you’re older is a whole different ball game,” Beauvais wrote at the time. “It took blood, sweat, lots of tears, and most importantly, fertility treatments. But I finally got pregnant. It was truly a miracle.”
