My eldest daughter is going to University and I am amused by Mother Nature. She throws things at you at just the right time, when you are at your most vulnerable and don’t see it coming. I find myself going over the last 18 years:

1-4 was the best! Finger painting, outings, learning so many new things – and that was just me.

5-8 was weird; watching her learn about the rest of the world, interact with other people and come home having learnt things I hadn’t taught her!

9-12 we coasted; lessons had been learned and we got on with the minutiae of day to day life. It was comfortable and lovely.

13-18 got harder; peer pressure, exam pressure …

… and then, what felt like suddenly, my time was up! She is a grown up and I’m supposed to take a back seat. Finally I understand, finally I see. It was never about me; I have passed on as much information as I could in the time I had. My job in life was to get her ready for the world, enable her to deal with it and want to make it better. There is no more I can do. It’s up to her now and she’s ready…