Parenting Advice: How to Let Go of Your Adult Child

Parenting Skills Never End, They Continue to Change with the Maturity of Your Child

It's easy for the "experts" to say letting go of an adult child is simply part of the growing process. I can't argue with that. It is essential to the adult child's adjustment and mental and emotional well-being that that we, as parents, let go and let them find their place in this world.

"Simple" certainly does not apply to any parenting guides, especially when it comes to letting your adult child go.

Unless you've been there, letting go is a lot easier than it sounds. It involves a lot of emotions you may never have experienced before. For me, there has been nothing as soul-piercing and rewarding as seeing my son jump head-first into college over the summer and get an apartment near campus this fall.

I'm as proud as any parent could be. He's making good decisions and doing well in school. He chose a nice apartment and used money he had saved to help furnish the apartment. We, his parents, have helped, but I can clearly see it is time to cut the apron strings. That's such a hard thing to do.

In contemplating my son's move, looking back at my life when I moved away from home, and talking with parents who have experienced this exhilarating grief I found some parenting tips to help let go of your adult child and maintain your sanity.

Parenting Advice - Letting Go: Recognize You've Done a Good Job

First, recognize that when your child is ready to leave home you have done your job. You have actually seen a job through to completion. It has long been said that parenthood is the one job you want to work yourself out of. When your adult child is ready to leave home you have done that. Trust that you have done your best, instilled values, responsibility, and a sense of integrity that will provide a solid foundation for the rest of your child's life.

Parenting Advice - Letting Go: Don't Second Guess Yourself Now, There's no Re-Do