Sending another out into the world

So I sent my third daughter out into the world today. It's strange, we knew this was coming and I know she'll do OK. She'll be with her 2 older sisters and I know she was raised right, so I'm not really worried about her as much as I would be if say we were sending her to a strange city with no family.

But the damnest thing happen, we had a going away party for family and friends last weekend and a special dinner last night and even got up at 4 this morning so we could take here out to breakfast before her AM flight. I was fine thru all of it including saying goodbye at the airport but when we got home this morning, I got on Face book to send a quick message to her sister to let her know she got off OK. And that's when it happened, she had posted a picture of herself wearing one of those stupid fake nose, mustache, eyeglasses thing and she just wrote "Goodbye Florida"

I felt like someone had punched me in the chest when I saw that and I cried like a baby for a good half hour, couldn't even gets words out to tell the wife what was wrong. This has never happened to me before, it's not that I don't have feelings, I have just gotten real good at keeping my feelings to myself, a leftover defense mechanism from growing up in the home I was raised.

So what the hell happened? Why this time?

 

well is she the last one to leave the nest?

 

Sounds like your emotional dam finally broke. You've likely been holding them back over time and the pressure finally reached critical mass.

Bet you felt better afterwards though. At least, I hope so.

Could be an age thing too. I call it "male mentalpause." I've definitely gotten more emotional over the past decade and sometimes find myself tearing up at sappy television commercials.

Let's hope that's not in your future.

 

I think you're reaction is more normal than mine. When my youngest daughter left to go to art college I was for hanging the fucking flags out in celebration!

 

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It sounds like you took her photo to be a personal jab at you? If so, it's not necessarily the case.

Maybe the best thing would be to call your daughter and tell her about how seeing the photo made you feel?

So you really love your daughter, but there are some communication problems.

I think that if you found someone who was good, therapy or family therapy could be a good thing for you

 

Thank you all for the advice. I think with everything I have going on the idea of her leaving, which was on good terms, and seeing that silly picture just filled my emotional tank and some had to spill out. To answer 1 question, I have one more at home and after raising and sending 3 daughters out into the world. I hope by the time my last daughter goes out on her own, I have some hair on my head that's not grey. I love them all to death but I've had a teenage girl in the house non stop for the last 17 years and it's taken it's toll. lol

 

They're hopefully human by this time. My daughter wasn't from 12 to about 18. She's thankfully re-joined humanity. Girls are NOT easy to raise.

 

My wife and I joke about that all the time. They go to this dark place at about 12 or 13 and then rejoin humanity at about 18 or 19. It's been the same with the first 3 and number 4 is in that place now and we're just waiting for her to return.

 

With that many daughters--I KNOW you've had to be on your toes all the time!