I took my daughter on a 'collegemoon' to Europe. It made my anticipatory grief about her leaving for school even stronger.
A mother reflects on the emotional complexity of taking her daughter on a 'collegemoon' trip to Europe before she leaves for university. The experience highlighted the author's anticipatory grief and the bittersweet nature of a child reaching adulthood.
Why it matters
This piece explores the common psychological transition parents face when children leave home, framed through the lens of modern parenting trends.
The author (right) took her daughter on a European vacation before she heads off to college this fall. Courtesy of Kate Loweth. We took a "collegemoon" to celebrate my daughter's accomplishments as she graduates high school. The trip gave us precious time together before she leaves for college. It also made me realize how much I'll miss her, even as I'm excited for her to take this next step. My daughter is heading off to college in Southern California in late September, and I'm doing what I suspect many parents do when a child reaches this milestone: trying to be genuinely excited while quietly wondering how I'm supposed to get used to an emptier house . So last month, I took her on a "collegemoon" to celebrate everything she had accomplished — and, perhaps selfishly, to soak up some time together before she leaves home .
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