Neighbor News
Parents: Allow Your Adult Children to Make Mistakes
Dr. Clatch writes about how parents can help their adult children navigate the consequences of mistakes without being critical.
Parents have a tendency to forget the mistakes they made as young adults. To be fair, it comes with the territory of having hindsight - we’re all guilty of that to some degree. When living with adult children, though, it is important for parents to remember that they will experience some of the mistakes their children make. Parents must recognize that their children are adults. As such, criticizing or judging the child will only lead to conflict and tension, negatively impacting the living environment for all family members.
In the wake of an adult child’s mistake, parents should let their children resolve the issue on their own, while offering advice on how to cope with the consequences (even if those consequences come from the parents themselves). If the child requests assistance, parents should set boundaries for what they will and will not do and adhere to them. By withholding criticism and being respectful of their child’s ability to deal with their own mistakes, parents can help influence their young adult child to make better decisions in the future.
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