Donald Trump's youngest son Barron turned 18 in March, and the world is speculating about what the young man's future has in store.
But as Barron enters adulthood, his mother Melania is facing a heartbreaking new chapter known to many mothers.
Given his change of age, Barron has already been thrust into the media spotlight like never before.
It's no secret that Melania is a devoted mother to her son, and that her efforts in raising him have been her primary focus in life since he was a boy.
Like most mothers facing an empty nest, Melania may have difficulty coping with her son leaving home, Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a New York neuropsychologist, said.
Hafeez noted the emotional load that Melania has likely had to bear, with her husband focusing his time on real estate and politics.
"It doesn't appear that [Donald] Trump does much of the parenting, and even if he does, he is publicly too busy to be a present father, leaving Melania to fret on her own," she said.
One of the biggest emotional obstacles Melania may face is allowing her son to face public scrutiny, after she spent years shielding him from the spotlight.
"Barron leaving home is more than just a son going away. It is a son becoming possibly subject to ridicule or harm, as well as [Melania's] loneliness and lack of emotional support that she may have derived from [him]," Hafeez said.
Startling new images from the Trumps' Easter celebration showed Barron, who stands at 6'7", towering over both of his parents and looking a lot like a younger version of his father.
The photo sparked fresh speculation about Barron's career plans as he prepares to go away to college.
"Melania’s main job is taking care of Barron, and I think it’s possible that she will follow him wherever he goes to school,” a source told PEOPLE. “Barron is shy and reserved, and she has been a good mother to him all of these years.”
As is natural, Barron's course in life will sooner or later take him away from the confines of home and out into the world of striving.
While Barron's next steps are unclear, his father has shared his belief that his son his destined to be "great" in the future.
