Parenting can often seem like a tightrope act. While it might get a little easier with time, the job is far from over after the kids have flown the coop.
Many parents breathe a huge sigh of relief when they're finally done balancing dirty diapers, whining toddlers, soccer practices and rebellious teenagers; now the relaxation can start, right? Well, sort of.
According to Focus On The Family, parents might not have the day-to-day parenting challenges anymore but it can be tough to navigate a new relationship with an adult child. Are you a friend? An adviser? A loan shark? Here are some useful tips for parenting adult children that will help you say goodbye to your dilemmas.
First is to recognize and understand the things that have changed. May it be physically or emotionally. This is the adjustment period where parent must give way to changes on how they should treat their adult kids.
Next is keeping in mind that some conflicts are normal. Every household fight is generally normal. When parents think of it this way, this should not be feared by them. Either way, parents would already know by now how to pacify their kids .
Last and the most important one is coming up with a living agreement. Even if your child is an adult, every parent must remember that it is their home and they get to set their own house rules and limits. That should be the case, now that they're adult.
Maybe you're one of those lucky people whose kids live in the same town. It's so easy to pop over while you're running errands or drop in with a surprise home-cooked meal, isn't it? While we're sure your children enjoy parental visits, you need to respect their boundaries, so give them the courtesy of a heads-up call before you come over says Empowering Parents.
For those parents whose adult kids are living away from them, however, they might not find any problem because they are no longer living together. But every parent knows how hard it is to think of their kids living away from them and not knowing what they are going through.
