Posted by ramsea on July 26, 2005, at 3:52:35
I am acting strong as I can, happy and supposrtive, but my heart is breaking inside. My beloved most wonderful daughter, 18 yr old is off for a three month trek in South America in about 8 days. She will be going into the jungle for a month with a group, to live with a tribe. Then she and a group of friends want to sort of knock around a bit, hike in Peru and Bolivia. She plans to become an anthropologist and this should be a fantastic adventure for her.
I just feel my insides melting. I am frightened this will trigger a bipolar reaction as significant losses have in the past. I wouldn't dream of sharing the depth of my distress to her. How do other parents cope? I'm scared of acting all stiff upper lip now and then melting down. Being her mom has been a great pleasure and a great privilege. I've devoted more time raising my kids then building a career (despite much noted potential to do so way back when).
And now I have become--or am rapidly becoming--- the dreaded figure, the mother bird in her empty nest. ALso, this travel stuff is very triggery for me beause I too traveled off at age 18 and the result was a criminal attack and experiences which set me on a road of grave difficulty.
poster:ramsea
thread:533645
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/child/20050226/msgs/533645.html