My Daughter Is Moving Out, and I'm Freaking Out!

Navigating big life changes requires welcoming surprises and embracing the surreal.

Untitled (1965) by Dorothea Tanning

My daughter is moving out today. She’s going to college a few minutes from our house, so I haven’t felt that worried or upset about her leaving. Mostly I’ve been feeling grateful that she’ll be so close.

But yesterday, as we were packing boxes and chatting about her plans, I asked her if she would be upset when her youn…