Not my Lil girl any longer

Isn't it crazy how one minute you are fantasizing about the day your child is finally of age and no longer your responsibility, then in the blink of an eye, there you are at the entrance of their step into adulthood?
If only we knew back then that just because they are no longer our responsibility does not keep us from the worry and pain and concern for them in the situations they may be going thru in their life.
For me, I wish I'd have known back then that it does not get easier as they grow older. Instead, it is much more difficult as a parent. In my experience, it is the most heart-wrenching agony I have ever experienced in my life, and I have been thru quite a bit of trial and tribulations.
My baby girl, my mini-me, my best friend, is 16 and seriously the most incredible person I have ever met in my entire life. She is funny, witty, thoughtful, wise beyond her years, and has an understanding of life and rough situations that astounds me.
Perhaps that is why I find it so difficult to bear when she comes to me crying. I can't stand being unable to fix what is hurting her and can not take that pain away for her.
I nearly came unglued the day she called me. Hearing her sobs, listening to her explain how she feels like she never does the right thing and always messes things up, and that my baby girl feels like she is nothing.
HOW can someone so positive and strong for every single person she has ever come in contact with, someone whose hugs can make you feel like your broken pieces are being put back together ever for even a second, think that they are nothing or that they always mess things up?!
I cried with her for 2 hours on the phone that day and sporadically the entire remainder of that day. Just knowing my Lil girl was hurting and I could do nothing to take it away or make it better for her was torture, unlike anything I had ever experienced before this. 
So that settles it, Babygirl will NOT be growing up after all. I refuse to sign the consent for her journey to adulthood. She will return to that 5-year-old girl with missing teeth and pig-tailed braids that comes running into Mom's lap with tears streaming down her face after falling off her bike and scraping her knee. I will bandage her wound while cuddling the small child she was back then until my baby girl is smiling and all is right with the world. She then goes running off to discover her next adventure. Mom fixed it!
If I had known how hard it is when I'm unable to do anything to take away her pain or fix what hurts her when she is no longer my responsibility, I would have cherished those days more than I did. I would not have fantasied those days away as I had.
I don't know about anyone else, but for me, maybe because they grew inside my body and were part of me, their pain will forever be my pain no matter how old they get. They will always be my baby. I will always want to protect them from getting hurt long after they are no longer my responsibility.