If it helps, mother doesn't always know best. I get the feeling your mom might be a little too used to you two seeing eye to eye. Is that fair? Unless you were a child bride (you weren't, were you? lol) you've been an adult for a number of years now. It sounds like mom needs to see that it's OK for her to step back a little and not be quite so protective. You know your mom so I won't try to tell you how to handle the situation. But think about this. How would you like one of your children to tell you that they're an adult now and it's OK, you can trust their judgement? I would think that's a good place to start. You just need to tailor it for your mom.