What's a Parent's Role?

Take our Authoritative Parenting Test

Find a family therapist near me

Young adulthood requires a shift in the relationship dynamic between parents and their kids.

Keeping conversations relatively short helps make them more inviting for kids, who fear getting “trapped.”

Avoid asking your college kid too many things about school and instead express an interest in them.

Do I text her too much? The answer: Probably. If you’re asking this, you have likely gone a little overboard.

No shame in that, though. You lived with your child 24/7, and now, in some cases, it is utter radio silence, a situation of not knowing. You have to wonder how much of that radio silence means: too busy with schoolwork, as she says? And how much is her way of taking some space or setting a new boundary? There is also the question of what boundaries are appropriate for your kid to set, and which are expressions of overconfidence or intentional exclusion?

How often to call or text becomes especially tricky if you’re aware your child is feeling overwhelmed or anxious or homesick or depressed. You might ask your son or daughter how much checking in is okay. You can say, Hey, I know this has been a challenging........

© Psychology Today