Who's The Daddy: Opening the door on a new chapter in life

What would you give to start again; a new career in a new town, a clean slate, a chance to reinvent yourself in a place where no one knows who you are?
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Last week, Daughter #1 experienced that for the second time (the first was starting uni in Liverpool three years ago) when she moved into her new flat for her new job at a law firm in Manchester.

She moved her stuff out of her student house in Liverpool and drove 30 minutes up the road, with a little help from her boyfriend, yours truly and the boss in three little hatchbacks, and carted it into the new place that’s a 24-minute walk (she timed it) from Old Trafford.

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So as she literally closed the door on one part of her life (the party til dawn student experience), within the hour she put the key in the door and opened the next chapter.

Turning the key on a new chapter in lifeTurning the key on a new chapter in life
Turning the key on a new chapter in life

The flat is nicer than anything I ever lived in at her age. A couple of minutes from the nearest Metro stop and with everything someone in their early 20s with no responsibilities could ever want.

Everyone should experience living life away from their home town. Like they say, you don’t know you’ve been living in a cave until the moment you leave it.

So not long after we helped lug her gear in and out of three cars, up in the lift and through the front door, me and the boss said our goodbyes and left daughter #1 and her boyfriend to it and pootled off down the motorway.

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Big city life suits daughter #1. We went to The Avalanches show in Manchester last week and before the gig she showed me around the city centre, where she works and the best places to eat. A day out for me and the boss, a 10-minute tram ride for her.

And, best of all, she got paid!

The most fulfilling thing about work is they drop money into your bank account once a month and it’s all yours to do what you want with.

Well, apart from rent, utility bills, food shopping, council tax and travel costs.

Adulting can be fun in moderation but sadly it isn’t all staying out til you’ve had enough with no “what bloody time do you call this?” when you roll in with the milk.

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On the other side of the coin, Daughter #2 arrives home for the summer after her first year at LIPA on Friday, two whole days before jetting off on holiday with her flatmate for a week.

I dread to think how we’re going to fit all her gear from her sprawling flat into our suddenly-not-as-big-as-it-used-to-be house. Very carefully, I’d imagine.