My oldest daughter took a gap year when she was 18 and delayed her college start. She told me she wanted to travel through Europe for three months with her own money. I worried every single day she was gone, but I also needed to trust my daughter.
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You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Advertisement I was a very fearful child who grew to be a fearful adult. It was so hard for me to let go of that fear while raising my five kids .
The world was full of danger, and I constantly worried about my family. Luckily, the children grew up safely, but I still dreaded possible tragedy lurking just around every corner. I knew mine was not a healthy attitude, and I tried hard to hide my anxiety from them.
I never interfered with their steps toward independence — riding a bike to middle school, beginning to drive, finding their way around the city—but my heart was always in my throat. It was an exhausting way to live. When my youngest child, Julie, was 18, she took a gap year between high school and college.
She'd been w.
