I of course do not have any children of my own yet. But my father use to be a very strict displinarian when we were growing up and then much to my surprise when I turned 18 shipped me off to Texas to go to college and trusted me completely to make my own decisions. Of course he was available for guidance.
I asked him about that when I was older and he said, he had confidence in us to eventually do the right thing. He said tha at some point as parents you have to let your children go and have faith that while kids take some detours in life, they will figure out the right path on their own. And that they need to do this to gain confidence. Of course, he is always standing at distance ready to be there for us if and when we trip up - but he waits for us to ask for help. And yes, there were times my father had to really work to not interfere in our lives... I am not sure I will be able to do what my father does...
Anyway, good luck with Ashley. Give her a little space and she will figure it all out for herself b/c you raised her to be able to do that.
