I can't speak as a parent, but as a "child" (lol) of 25 I think you never stop worrying about your children. I know my mum still worries about me (especially with all this mental health rubbish) and I know my grandad is always thinking of my mum, whatever chance he gets he throws her a £20 just to help her out.... and.... I just want to try to reassure you, you feel bad because your girls phone you when they are low and you think you can't do anything - but you ARE doing something. You're the person they call when they need somebody - you should be proud of that, that your girls are so close to you that they are able to let you be there for them, to tell you what's going on in their lives. I know it will help them a lot to know that they always have their mum, that no matter what happens in the day, if they are low they can ring you and talk to you and they know you will listen and love them. I recently spent some time abroad and was going through a rough patch, you have no idea how much those phone calls to my mum helped me.

It must be a strain on you, I understand that, and perhaps it would help you to worry a little less, your girls are mostly grown up and I think they can probably handle things more than you think -- sure they get down but doesn't everybody? It's probably just that you hear about it much more with your girls because you are that close to them. If you weren't such a close family I'm sure your girls wouldn't call you and you would think they were always happy.

It might help to try to stear the conversations into something more positive, from time to time. It doesn't do to dwell TOO much on the bad stuff and they have to learn to share YOUR stories too.

Remember you don't have to protect them from bad things happening, just being there when they do is enough x