Why Can't You Understand?

Okay...I apologize in advance for my longish rant, but I just needed to get this off of my chest.<br><br>Here's a little background on the situation, not that anyone probably cares. I'm currently in the process of deciding where to go to college. I want to be a large animal vet, but more specifically I hope to end up in Equine Rehabilitation. My parents are divorced and I live with my mother on the East Coast. I've been accepted to Kansas State and Clemson.<br><br>Now, I just recently got back from a campus visit at Kansas State and a week in Olathe. I absolutely loved the campus and was enamored with their agricultural department. Overall I really enjoyed my time there and to sweeten the pot, the fact that my father is a Kansas resident means I qualify for in-state tuition. Wonderful, right? Well, I came back home and told my mother that I've pretty much decided Kansas State is where I want to go. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. I didn't expect her to be pleased, but I really don't feel like that was a reason for her to make me feel like a dog about it all. I tried to calmly explain to her why I picked that school. 1) I just really liked the school and it's atmosphere 2) I can get in-state tuition 3) Kansas State is a top ranked Veterinary School and 4) For what I want to do, Kansas State is the better school and the area surrounding it offers better options for the future. <br><br>No offense to the East Coast, but it's not exactly known for it's ranching. I mean seriously, the ratio of the small amount we have versus the Midwest is ridiculous. I want to be a <span style="font-weight:bold">large animal</span> vet for cripes sake. If a doctor has no patients, he doesn't get paid. Same thing applies here. My mother insists on acting as if all of these facts are irrelevant. I understand that she isn't happy about me being a plane ride away versus a car drive, but geez. Part of going off to college in the first place is to grow up and be out on your own. Besides that, it's not like I said I wanted to move to say...Washington for example. I <span style="font-weight:bold">do</span> have someone who is only 2 hours and 15 minutes away from campus if something does happen or I want to go home.<br><br>Needless to say, I'm starting to get sick of the whole mess. Honestly, based on the conversations we've had the last few days I'm starting to think it isn't a problem with the school I chose. The problem is the relationship between my parents and the fact that if I go out there, my mother feels like she's lost me. The woman is an adult, why does she have to view everything as a competition between her and my father? I wish she would at least learn to respect my decisions, even if she doesn't like them. Maybe I'm being childish, I don't know, but I feel like <span style="font-style:italic">You'll understand me when you have children of your own</span> isn't an answer when I try to speak with her. What the heck happened to <span style="font-style:italic">you can talk to me about anything</span>? Because at this point I feel like no, I really can't.