So DD 18 has just asked my permission to stay at her bf’s. I said I’m not giving my permission because she doesn’t need it but I thanked her for letting me know she won’t be coming home tonight. She’s staying at home and cycling to uni every day because the student housing situation is so dire here in the Netherlands; nearly all of her secondary school mates are commuting to their respective universities.
Seven months ago I was having parent teacher conferences at school and now she’s in her second week of Uni. I swing between being incredibly proud of her independence and all round good eggness and feeling bereft that we are ships in the night. As a single parent without support, I have looked forward to this moment for a very long time but now I am here, I feel a bit lost. I’ve started making her a packed lunch most days, so I feel like I’m still parenting her. She finds this perplexing because three months ago when she was going to school, I made a point of not making her lunch.
So good people, how have you transitioned from this new phase in your and your child’s life?