The ABSOLUTELY DO, for all kinds of reasons. But that's not really where the biological connection discussion came up. And quite honestly, a mother who holds on TOO LONG can ruin a child, IMO.
But just because she 'let's go' doesn't mean that the 'mother I am inside' goes away. It means, as a responsible mother, I teach and groom my children to operate independently, and hopefully, operate very well, independently (A dad is very much a part of that, and he sometimes has to help his W let go). Sometimes a part of that is sending them on their way, whether they think they are ready to go or not. (From personal experience, that is not always an easy thing to do as a mom, but... after they go, you head on into the bedroom and cry your eyes out... pull out the baby books, smell their clothes... ahem. Or... maybe not...)
My best friend, for YEARS, had 'dependency' issues because her mother... oh my Gawd... she did SO MUCH for her kids they had no idea how to do for themselves.
That's a different issue, though. And a man who refuses to pay for his child's higher education isn't necessarily a 'bad' father. But if he uses that as an excuse to quit his job, then I'd say other problems with him are afoot.
