relax - take a deep breath. The next three years will not fly by. This is just a wake-up call to slow down and savor your daughter while you can. She still has a lot of growing and changing to do before she goes off to college. Even then, you will see her and talk to her often. She's not leaving you yet.
My girls are 26 and 28. One lives 120 miles away and I see her every month or so. The other lives 3000 miles away and I see her every year. And even so, I'm not closer to one than the other. The feelings don't change, they are still my daughters, my "girls", my babies.
OTOH, the CA girl is due home Saturday for a 2 week visit and I'm practically counting the minutes here!
yeah, it seems like that to me too. And I have grandkids getting on that kindergarten bus this year!
Its okay to feel a little scared. I don't see it as clingy, but as a mother who knows what the world is really like and what her daughter is facing as she matures and has to start making her own decisions and start taking care of herself. You just have to trust in your daughters good common sense and whatever deity you believe in. And you will still be there to guide her for many years to come.
{{{{{Kathy}}}}} from another mother of daughters
Cheri Cheri (Bubbee to Emily and Nathan)