Dear Dáithí: With our youngest off to college, will we be okay on our own?

I can see where you are coming from with this dilemma

Dáithí Ó Sé: I think as the kids go back to college this week or next, many parents will have the same concerns at home as you have had. Picture: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

Dear Dáithí, 

I’ve had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach for weeks now and I didn’t really know why but just this week it hit me. Our youngest will be starting college soon and leaving home to live in Limerick – it’s not far away, we only live in Cork, and in fairness, she’s a sensible kid, and so smart, I’m not worried about her. We have three kids, the eldest is 24, so my husband and I haven’t been on our own for any real length of time for over two decades! Don’t get me wrong, we still get on, and have a laugh together, but to be just us all the time is a bit daunting. My husband says we’ll be fine, and I know, it’s not as if I’m expecting anything awful to happen, it’s just making me feel nervous for some reason. Kind of like butterflies in my stomach. It’s a big change. After 25 years of marriage, it feels a little like we’ll need to get to know each other all over again.