How Parental Relationships Can Improve with Adult Children
When the kids are grown up, it’s time to use constructive dialog to ensure happiness and sustained success.
Most parents work hard to raise their children into adulthood, and expect that things will go fairly well if they continue to do things the way they’ve always done them. However, in recent years, a growing number of therapists and researchers have identified a silent epidemic in regards to parents’ concerns about preserving strong bonds with their adult children.
During a recent counseling session, Rich, 53, reflected upon the emotional pain he had been experiencing after a rift occurred with his son Jason, 28, who he hadn’t seen in a several months. The tension in their relationship escalated after Kate, Rich’s wife, wrote their son Jason a letter expressing anger and disappointment about regrettable things that created strain between them.
Rich reflects: “The hardest thing for us is that we love Jason and our grandson, Oliver, but feel overlooked and a bit used. We helped Jason and his wife, Tessa, with the down payment for their home but don’t feel they’re grateful. It feels stressful when we are all together. Tessa grew up in a dysfunctional family, isn’t close with her…
