I did not leave home until I was 24 and that was to move in with my then BF. I remember the day we told my parents. The four of us were in the living room and I blurted it out. There was silence.......major silence. Then my Dad left the room. I was crushed. Mom spoke with me and then BF for a bit then Dad returned and sat down in his easy chair. He'd obviously been crying. He said "I don't like this at all but I suppose you are going to do it anyway." He didn't like the "shacking up" part. Then my Mom said, and I'll never forget this "Well dear, they're certainly not going to do anything in their apartment that they probably haven't done already!"

When the move finally happened, my Dad made me call him everyday for the first month just to make sure I was OK. After all, I was/still am his baby even though he passed in 1995.

Rest easy Marigold. She will be fine and this will certainly be a growth spurt for her and you'll witness it before your very eyes.

...but speaking from a daughter's point of view....deep down inside she knows that she'll always be your baby girl. It is what it is.

Now that I'm 55 and my Mom is 83 we are the best of friends. You can look forward to that too.

Big {{{hugs}}} and a mega box of chocolate truffles for you.