Vegas, Baby

Once you go a block or two from the last downtown casino, Las Vegas is much like any other southwestern town I've been in. In other words, despite the different architecture, pretty much like Mentor or Lyndhurst or your town.
There is WalMart and Target and the grocery store. They do seem to have more than their fair share of restaurants but that in itself is comforting. You see, my daughter lives here now and I worry about her being on her own. Now don't misunderstand me. She has a great job, a darling condo, good friends and a busy life. But I am her mother. I still worry. It is my right.
Having adult children is very challenging. You still want to parent but you don't really need to. You probably shouldn't. It is easier said than done. You have to remind yourself of all the silly mistakes you made when you were a young adult and how you survived to become the person you are.
You can't take that away from your own children. That would be the opposite of parenting. So you try to work on a new kind of relationship that is part parent, part kind-of-a-friend thing, You find common ground and interests. You reminisce and enjoy thinking about the past. You listen to their hopes and frustrations and try not to give too much advice and none if they don't ask for it.
In the back of your mind and when you have time on your own to think--then you interfere and give advice but only in your head. A good parent of an adult child keeps that to himself/herself unless of course that child is headed for disaster(such as drug use or alcohol abuse) but even then maybe your hands are tied. Luckily, I don't know.
Anyway, my baby lives in Vegas and I am working on thinking of her less as my baby and more as a woman. It's a sure bet that's the right thing to do.