Now I Understand Why My College Daughter Flew The Coop

It was only four months ago that I was nearly inconsolable after saying goodbye to my college daughter. However, as much as I have missed my daughter’s presence in our home, her five-week college winter break gave me a major dose of reality. I understand now that when most children reach 18 years old, it is time for them to fly the coop.

I loved having my daughter home, and yet there were some tense moments which made me realize that an inevitable shift that had occurred—a shift for her, for...