Dotsie, my kids are 18 and 21. (The labrador is almost 2!) I remember bawling all the way home on the first trip each of my daughters took to camp at around 8 years old - for 5 days. Now the youngest will be gone to boot camp for 7 weeks, tech school for 10 months and then off to college 4 hrs away. Not across the country, but not in the next room either. The hard thing is she is SO excited to do all this and I have to encourage her and be excited too. I have my break downs late at night and my poor husband has to listen to me. I know he is feeling it too, but I think he feels he has to be strong for me.