Take some time to think of the significant periods of transition in your life, and during your child's development. Consider your child as a toddler - leaving your side to explore, with an occasional hasty return to the safety your presence provided. Consider him or her as a teenager - perhaps forcibly pushing you away as they explored the world. They do this with the knowledge that the safety of their 'home base' is there when they need it. Finally, consider your student's entrance into college. This is another period of transition with similarities to the development of the earlier years. In fact, many will embark upon such a transition with echoes from the past - as the struggle between dependence and independence is reawakened. A struggle between holding on, and letting go. A struggle you will both feel.