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Parenting adult children and tough love
If you are a parent of adult children then you know that parenting never really ends. Our children need us even into their adult years. The hope and dream is that your adult children will become more self-sufficient as time goes on and that they will be less dependent on you for the basics.
I remember when I was 17 years old. I could not wait to turn 18 and I could be on my own. I dreamed about the day when I could leave the nest and get away from parental control. I wanted to be my own man, make my own decisions and do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. What I did not realize is that independence comes along with responsibility and cost. I did not understand that my parents provided me with the basics of life such as a roof over my head, food, clothing, and an education.
I moved out (ran away) from home twice when I was between 17 and 18 years of age. The first time I came back home my parents accepted me with open arms and they set boundaries for me to follow. Those boundaries felt like parental control so I ran off a second time. When I did that there was no moving back home. My parents cut the umbilical cord and said I was on my own.
My parents were not my biological parents but rather my adoptive parents. They adopted my sister and I from an orphanage in Germany when we were only 1 and 2 years old. My father…
