Dealing with feeling when kids leave

[dadsnet123]

First time poster here, so bit of background my wife and i have brilliant relationship, the same goes for my daughter, shes always been a daddys girl, nothing untoward or anything but shes always been all me, shared interests, when ive had to go out shes come with me etc, maybe because i am less strict than my wife.

Recently now my daughters gone off to college, got a boyfriend and hardly has anything to do with us now and is not as close as she used to be. Its gone from seeing and speaking to her every day to once or twice a week if that. Now its back to me and my wife with no children etc and its made me feel sad and hard to explain the feeling other than relating it to grief when you lose a family member.

Anyone else as a dad go through this etc.

[PhotoDad]

My daughter is at uni now, and we've always been really close with shared interests etc. It's probably not quite the same, as my son is still at home, but I completely get where you're coming from (and my son has generally more shared interests with my wife as it happens!)

I think that a lot of how you feel is related to how you got along with your own folks when you left home, which sets expectations. I hope you can adjust to the new situation and think of it as your daughter spreading her wings!

[Wiccan]

Hope you don't mind a mum answering as hubby is out at work but he would totally agree . My DH was very close with both DD and when they left home one DD even stated that she wouldn't and couldn't go a day without talking to her dad . He is lucky if he sees them once a month now and doesn't even get messages he feels like he's not good enough anymore and has litterly been forgotten. I myself have fallen out with one DD because of it and relationship with the other is quite strained. I sort of expected with me as it's not unusual for mothers and daughters to drift apart and have a slightly strained adult relationships but it's quite a shock to see how they are treating their dad . And from people I've spoken to our DD are not the only ones. There seems to be a massive trend in people cutting off from family .