Every parent faces the question at some point: Do I truly know my adult child? The transition from childhood to adulthood can feel like watching your child become a stranger, someone you can no longer fully protect or control.

As Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father, once said, "For me, it was a revelation. A completely different Anne was revealed to the child I had lost there. I had no idea of the depths of her thoughts and feelings."

I felt deeply moved reading this poignant reflection while I was at the Anne Frank House Museum in Amsterdam. Otto Frank's quote offers insight into how, despite our best efforts, we may never fully understand the inner workings of our children—especially as they grow into adults and carve their paths.

Here are three ways to gauge whether you genuinely know your adult child and some tips for navigating this ever-changing relationship.

A key indicator of whether you genuinely know your adult child is whether they confide in you about their innermost thoughts and emotions. As children, many know what they like, need, and fear. However, as adults, emotional vulnerability can become more complex. It’s often easy to overlook, but understanding the subtleties of your child’s emotional state is vital.

Take the example of Sheri, a mother of two grown children. Sheri was used to hearing........

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