In the introduction, the author mentioned that his nine principles were discovered and refined with his own adult children, which makes the engineer in me cringe a little and say that his sample-size for these recommendations was very small. n=3 adult children Practical advice and hopeful encouragement for the tough yet rewarding transition to parenting grown kids. There may be overlap and outliers in these decades—for example, more than 10 million millennialsare currently caregivers for a parent or grandparent—but these are among the general milestones and markers for young adults: Some of the difficulties highlight subtle links between a mother’s own experience and that of her children. As a psychodynamic psychotherapist, Byford is attuned to spotting patterns, such as those of Carole, who feared that her daughter’s husband and his family would become closer to her than she could get. Byford wonders if Carole might be over-interpreting events or even provoking them, as in her youth she had suffered with her own mother, who remarried and had two more children, leaving Carole to be sent, unhappily, to boarding school. While there are shelves of baby and toddler books, and a growing number on teens, late-stage mothering is a wasteland. That doesn’t mean women aren’t interested in it though. Byford found more than 30 women to interview, and many felt huge relief at being able to voice their opinions.

It disturbs me a little when people take things to be promises that aren't ... I am always afraid they will be doubly-disillusioned if it doesn't come true, and perhaps disillusioned in God as well. Great insights and advice! I think this is particularly helpful for those with children navigating into young adulthood, but anyone with adult children could use it. In Doing Life with Your Adult Children, parenting expert Jim Burns helps you navigate one of the richest and most challenging seasons of parenting. Speaking from his own personal and professional experience, Burns offers practical answers to questions such as these: I thought this was quite good--really worth reading. I actually would recommend parents read this earlier than the title might make you think (perhaps when teens are 14-16) as he has some good information about training our children to handle finances and it would prepare a parent to be proactive with expectations instead of reactive in dealing with issues. For more on this thorny topic, read our article, Giving Money to Grown Children: When to Stop and How to Break the Habit. Top Concerns of Parenting Adult ChildrenSecondly, that phrase "the way he should go" is customized for each child, and includes such things as their career and hobbies and interests. I saw my cousin's grandfather (from her other side of the family) out gardening at 99 years of age, and when I asked him about it, he said that when he was about three, his mother took him out gardening with her. It made me smile, and think of this verse.

You think you have your children sorted. You got them through GCSEs and A levels, off to university perhaps, or into employment, then – after they brought home a few bad ’uns – settling with a partner and starting their own family. Along the way you might have had some advice from parenting experts such as Penelope Leach, the National Childbirth Trust, fellow mothers at the school gate, siblings or friends. If your children are still teenagers, the successful launch into adulthood starts even now. Here, Amy White, MBA and creator of theDaily Successful Living Blog, shares what worked for her and her husband as their three teens (who are now 20-somethings) transitioned into adulthood:If you don't give them respect, it pretty much guaranteed they will close the door on your guidance."