Behind that seemingly simple sentence lies a journey of trust, anxiety, and growth in the bond between mother and child.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh, MA, lecturer at Saigon International University, experienced that moment when she decided to let her daughter, Nguyen Khanh Bao Nguyen, study abroad in the US at the age of 15.

"Releasing your child into the vast world," as she described it, was not an easy choice. But she understood: if you want your child to grow, you must learn to step back.

In the first days of separation, Binh couldn’t sleep well. Every night, she would open her phone, type a few caring messages, then remind herself not to call too much.

“I used to call my daughter every day, constantly reminding her of things, even getting frustrated when she didn’t respond immediately. Later, I realized that my anxiety had become an invisible rope tightening around her, making it hard for her to breathe. I had to re-learn how to be a mother - learning to trust instead of trying to control.”

For her, the greatest “fruit” isn’t a report card or a scholarship, but it is watching her daughter take responsibility for her own life. The day Bao Nguyen called home and shared how she had handled everything herself after a difficult exam, Binh felt both emotional and relieved: “I knew that she had truly grown up.”

“As parents, we all want to protect our children. But sometimes, love doesn’t mean holding on, but it means letting go and believing that they’ll find their way,” Binh shared.

From that journey, she also realized: growth is not just for the child, but it’s for the parent, too. As children learn independence, parents must learn how to let go, how to calmly observe from a distance.

“Letting your child go far doesn’t mean losing them. It’s a two-way journey: parents learn to be friends, and children learn to become their own person,” the mother expressed.

And somehow, in her eyes, there is a very special kind of happiness, the happiness of someone who loves through freedom, not fear of losing.

Learning how to grow up

At 17, Nguyen Khanh Bao Nguyen, currently a student at The Lawrenceville School (New Jersey, US), is in the vibrant prime of youth. The reserved girl who left HCMC at 15 is now president of the Model United Nations (MUN) club, head of stage tech, president of the international student council, and vice president of the school’s cultural club.

Yet when talking about achievements, Bao Nguyen simply smiles: “My biggest success is learning to stay calm and be grateful.” She said it gently but firmly, as if every experience, no matter how small, has shaped her resilience in a vast world.

“To me, my mom is both a friend and a teacher. She taught me that independence doesn’t mean isolation. There were times I felt I had to tough it out to prove myself, but she said, ‘You’re not alone. I’m always here, even if we’re half a world apart.’”

Conversations between mother and daughter are no longer lectures or check-ins, but dialogues between kindred spirits.

Nguyen recounted: “My mom and I talk like friends, sometimes about studies, sometimes life, sometimes small things that warm my heart. She listens without judgment, letting me be myself.”

In a foreign land, amid competitive and stressful life, the 17-year-old deeply understood family’s value. “Family isn’t just a house, but a place you can always return to, in heart or reality. Mom gave me a sky, but also taught me to look back at the ground.”

Nguyen has no specific “idol.” “My role models are everyone I’ve met - friends, teachers, or strangers I chat with in the park. Everyone has something to teach if you listen,” Nguyen said.

The young girl spoke of studying abroad as a journey of soulful growth: “There’ll be lonely times, moments of feeling lost, but that’s part of growing up. Without ever losing direction, how would we know our true path?”

Nguyen believes today’s youth don’t need to “know exactly who they are” immediately: “We’re shapes in flux. Allow yourself to try, fail, redo. There’s no fixed life plan. Experiences and people we meet are the real journey taking us far.”

Between two women, one is learning to let go, while the other is learning to fly, is an unbreakable bond: love and trust.

Luu Dinh Long