Last time, I asked my daughter Emily how she felt about leaving home and moving to another country. This time, she turns the tables on me and asks “Pappa, are you afraid to let me go?”
We talk about what it feels like when the child you’ve spent 20 years protecting suddenly doesn’t need you in quite the same way. About trust, worry, giving up control, letting them make their own mistakes, and that strange mixture of sadness, pride and excitement when they’re ready to leave.
As I tell Emily, being a parent is a bit like holding your breath and hoping it goes OK. And then there’s the question every parent eventually has to face: when do you stop protecting them and start trusting that you’ve prepared them well enough to protect themselves?
A very personal father-daughter conversation about growing up, letting go... and why apparently Emily needs to take a piece of meat with her when she leaves.
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