How did you change your parenting methods after your children had left?
Sep 17, 2023 by Anthony Damaschino
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What a great question. I talk a lot about this in the book, specifically in Chapter Eight, titled Parent-Child to Parent-Adult. The best way for me to sum it up here is that every parent has to establish and pivot from a Parent-Child to a Parent-Adult relationship at some point during their child's growth cycle. At what age does your child become an adult through your eyes? Sixteen? Eighteen? Twenty-one? Twenty-five? Further, at what point does your child consider themselves an adult, regardless of your timeline?
For most, this transition naturally happens as children get further into adulthood. But leaving this unplanned can open relationships up to potential roadblocks, missed expectations, and power struggles. The worst case scenario is when a significant conflict arises, and the child or a parent severs the relationship.
Part of your The Empty Nest Blueprint is about having a proactive and multi-perspective view on this subject. For me, there is no magic age. Each of my children had a timeline, and it was up to me to gauge readiness and proactively switch to Parent-Adult. The insight is preparing yourself to know this will happen and being ready to change and support your child when they are ready.
For most, this transition naturally happens as children get further into adulthood. But leaving this unplanned can open relationships up to potential roadblocks, missed expectations, and power struggles. The worst case scenario is when a significant conflict arises, and the child or a parent severs the relationship.
Part of your The Empty Nest Blueprint is about having a proactive and multi-perspective view on this subject. For me, there is no magic age. Each of my children had a timeline, and it was up to me to gauge readiness and proactively switch to Parent-Adult. The insight is preparing yourself to know this will happen and being ready to change and support your child when they are ready.
