The biggest thing for me, and I suppose it falls under the acceptance category, was when my oldest came home for Christmas one year. I was super excited to have him back for 2 weeks. He left early. When he told me he was going back to his place, I asked him why and he said, "I don't live here anymore." It broke my heart in a way, but it was true, he didn't. He'd made a life somewhere else and we had gotten on with doing whatever it was we were doing without his presence. It's a jarring realization.