It’s back to school time, which means some parents will be sending their kids off to college and going through the emotions of their kids leaving home for the first time. As a father of three daughters who have all moved out of the house to pursue their careers, Tim McGraw can empathize with how those parents are feeling, but he also knows that having your kids leave home isn’t always a sad thing.

“It’s tough, for sure. And it’s tough when they go away. I mean, I’m a crier anyway, so every time our girls have left and we’ve dropped ‘em off somewhere, it’s always been tough. But you get used to it. You start gettin’ excited about seeing where their career goes and where their life goes, and it’s fun to watch ‘em grow into strong, independent young women. But I’ll tell ya, the cool part is Faith and I really have enjoyed our time alone now at home. You know, we see the girls quite often. They come home and visit quite often, but now when they were there for about four or five days, we’re like, you know, we kinda want our house back (laugh).”

What was the hardest part of your kids leaving home for college for the first time for you?