Now, as they fly off to the next part of their journey, fully equipped with as many random and practical items as you can think of, including a colander and 3 pack of wooden spoons and a doorstop! You wonder how this time has crept up on you so quickly. When parents love to tell you ‘Oooohh, they grow up so fast. Just you just wait and see. It goes by in a flash”. I often rolled my eyes when people said this to me, but now I’m thinking that; perhaps this is true.

For the last few months I’ve continued to tell myself that this will be an amazing experience and opportunity for my friend’s daughter, and I hope she might read this blog post too (she knows who she is). Every time I see her, she smiles with utter delight. In her mind, she’s already gone to university and she’s probably being the most mature about the whole situation than any of us.

I remind my friend that it’s natural to feel sad when your child leaves home. It is feeling of loss. A loss of affection, loss of extra laughter in the house and an empty bedroom. A sacred part of the family is suddenly no longer there.

Just as I tell my friend she’s being overly sensitive about the ‘flying the nest’ situation and as I try to be the strong woman I am, she reminds me that her daughter leaves on Sunday. I warmly embraced her daughter and held her tight. I admit, I nearly lost it; chocking back shedloads of tears. Now I’ve got to wait until mid-December until I see her face again.

And so the time has come. As parents we have taught them as much as we can for the moment. Now they must learn more by themselves, so we must let them go.

So fly little bird, fly. Good luck and we’ll see you again soon…