I didn't "grow up" with her (I was already almost 16 when I first heard her) but I've definitely gone through milestones with her music... several major relationships, high school graduation, my first job, my first child. So I can definitely relate to that. I've been a fan since the first Trilogy came out, so I'll certainly always be nostalgic for the LOVEppears/Duty era, but I try very hard to be objective, lol
But yeah, the RAINBOW era was the first time my fandom started to falter really... but I recovered, and to be honest I'm in it for the long haul now and everyone knows it, lol
Every now & then our fandom is tested. Mine was tested in late 2002-early 2003. It survived. lol