Is motherhood going to kill me? I remember being twenty-one years old and not being able to understand why my mother couldn't adapt when my choices for myself deferred from what she wanted for me. I liked my choices and thought my mother should be happy because I was happy. I never imagined what it felt like then to have to let go as a parent. I'm not talking about letting go of the big things that mean life and death for our kids. I'm realizing that letting go of the little things can be just as excruciating. Little things like a daughter insisting she likes a side part better than a center part when as mom, I especially like the way this daughter looks with a center part. It's keeping my mouth shut and smiling pleasantly when she says, "the side part looks good too, right Mommy?" The truth is there's nothing wrong with the side part, Mom's just attached to the center part.