First cub out

These last five years have been an absolute rollercoaster. Dropping our daughter off at her Uni accommodation was as exhausting as emotional. Living and studying through COVID, amidst a generation that uses social media to intimidate and manipulate others without mercy, did not make our task any easier, as we tried to hold them afloat without swallowing the odd gulp of water. Often, pulling us down with her… These are not the easiest times to raise children. I salute those parents who are brave enough to make that decision.

This is her time

This is it. My baby girl is no longer a girl; she’s a young woman. She’s living on her own, doing most of the adult stuff. Applying all her learning to her single living requires organisation and consistency. “Routine is crucial”, I tell her. “Take whatever help is available to help you: calendars, reminders, alarms, etc. Take anything that can prompt you to act and help you keep on track. Don’t take time for granted.”

The anxiety isn’t over, though…

A new stage of anxiety has set in (understandably) related to this overwhelming life-changing phase. Her racing thoughts are now around the fear of living alone, the fear of not meeting the academic expectations, the fear of not getting a job, and the fear of not finding friends who identify with her values and beliefs.

That’s a lot to bear in mind when all these things are relatively simple. However, the current generation tends to overthink and overcomplicate things. In the good old days, we would just shake it off and get on with it. No time (nor patience) to overthink. We just wanted to live it.

It may take a while until she settles. She’s not used to a big, busy city and to not have us there at an arm’s reach whenever she needs us. It’s something that will take time to sink in, for sure, given her scarce social experiences.

We will be there for her, no matter what

Even though there is a geographical distance, and that we disagree with most of the dystopian ways they see the world, we are still her family and will be here for whatever (reasonable) needs she has.

Yes, she will still need to bear with our advice, no matter how often she repeats “I know”, no matter how pestering she finds us. Repetition works best (and not just at the gym), I trust it will get to a point where she’ll be breezing through and we won’t need to advise her unless we are required. And that, my friends, is a whole other level of parenting. I think it’s called retiring… 😂