I grew up idolizing Rob Lowe. He was one of my first celebrity crushes. I connected with him on a superficial level. I loved him in St. Elmo's Fire and the Outsiders. "Let's do it for Johnny!".  I even had his poster on my bedroom wall. Life has since moved on from those teenage days and I'd all but forgotten him over the last few decades. That is up until yesterday. When I read a excerpt from his new book, Love Life. As I read his words, I felt that connection again. This time not so superficial. This time on a much deeper level. I am at the exact point in my life that he speaks of. His son's transition into adulthood. His son heading off to college. His son's last night at home. "I have been emotionally blindsided. I know that this is a rite many have been through, that this is nothing unique. I know that this is all good news; my son will go to a great school, something we as a family have worked hard at for many years. I know that this is his finest hour. But looking at his suitcases on his bed, his New England Patriots post­ers on the wall, and his dog watching him pack, sends me out of the room to a hidden corner where I can’t stop crying." He writes eloquently about his emotions and " why he can't just pull himself together". I find myself resonating with all of it. At this very moment my daughter is finalizing her acceptance letter to the university of her choice. She will be moving out in the next few months. She's eighteen. Sometimes she seems much older than that. She's bright and independant and determined. And other times she appears just a child - scared and uncertain. But she's excited. She's eager and ready to go. She's been headed in this direction her whole life. And I've been right there with her every step of the way. But now, she's stepping away on her own. Ready to carve her own path. And isn't that what I want for her? Yes! It is. It wholeheartedly is. But damn...I never knew it would be this hard.