Amanda Lamb: And then there were two

Editor's note: As she sends her two girls off to college, Amanda Lamb's weekly Go Ask Mom column is ending. But she'll be returning on occasion to share life as an empty nester.

It was harder to leave my second daughter at college. She is my baby. She’s going to school far away. But most of all, she is my last child to leave the nest.

I asked her this week what her favorite part of college is so far. Without hesitation she answered: “independence.” I feel like we gave her a lot of freedom growing up, especially in recent years, so I was confused. I asked her what she meant by this. She explained that it wasn’t the same thing, that living on your own for the first time is a different kind of freedom—exciting and scary all at once. She said it’s about making your own choices every day and being responsible for those choices.

I am excited for her. She will face obstacles, but she will grow exponentially in the next few months. Her newfound independence will thrill her and test her in ways that remain to be seen, but she will be okay. We will all be okay.

So, now the question is what do we do as parents with our newfound independence? I haven’t figured this out yet, but I will let you know when I do.

Until we meet again…

Amanda is a mom of two and an author of several books including some on motherhood. Her Go Ask Mom columns have appeared weekly on Mondays since January 2010.