Don't let her see you cry.My girl is 16 and talking of Uni i am already thinking how is she going to manage.Cooking,shopping,ironing,cleaning ,studying and a decent set of digs.
Bah, ironing and cleaning can be struck off the list, who needs to do those?
The answer of course, at 16, is to start training her in these dark arts now. It's quite possible to be a useful mature 18 year old at Uni, or to be useless. The only way to learn this stuff is to do it.
FF, I was 30 when I went to Uni, so I was fairly grown up, but my Mum still delighted me with letters and little gifts throughout term. Nothing too clingy, just the sort of little parcel that would delight her - whether that's a £5 M and S token (to spend on posh food or pants), or a packet of instant noodles.
I did an OU degree before I went away to Uni, and on my first summer school (aged about 23), I opened my case in my room to find a little handsewn lavender filled teddy bear Mum had slipped in without me knowing. He stayed with me all week, and went to each year's exams, and then all through my undergrad and postgrad years at York. I have him still. Just as she has the little knitted bear I sent her when she started her degree, aged 70.
Can't beat teddy bears.