Kids into Adults

This transition is hard and so cool at the same time!

As our kids began to transition into young adults we realized we were going to have to transition too or there would be a big problem in our relationships with them.

It started with little things like, when are you going to be home and who are you going with and how much money did you spend…. to TRUSTING that you’ve done your job to teach them when is a reasonable time to be home and to choose their companions carefully and to be good stewards of the money they have earned.

Right? Right…. ?Yes, of course - right!

There is a real shift in our roles as parents as our kids get older.

Locking into the different gears along the way is the hard part. Just when you have age 16 figured out, they are 18, then 19, 20…. and wow there they go! Here are 3 things we learned along the way about our role as our kids grew up…

TRUST THEM

Until they give you a real good reason not to, give them a chance to make decisions and to even fail while they are still young and okay with coming to you for help. Let them figure some things out while you still have a bit of a safety net under them. Trusting them will give them a chance to trust you too!

BACK OFF

Not like “forget you” but rather, just let go a bit. Allow them to hang with other people besides you and go places without you, and hey - you never know - you might get invited once in a while. Letting go is key to your young adults becoming independent. It’s okay!

WAIT FOR IT

Stop offering advice so quickly. Allow your kids to work through issues and problems and WAIT for them to come to you for your thoughts. It will be much better received if they are asking, trust me… we know.