"Just about every day, someone asks me for advice. Often it's a question about parenting, something I have been practicing for decades as the mother of five. Friends, colleagues, and mothers at the beginning of their parenting journey want to know how I dealt with a myriad of concerns, everything from toilet training to sex education. I'm always more than willing to share, and I often do, even when it's unsolicited."
"After three months of living independently, my three oldest sons returned home for our first adult version of the holiday celebration. We hung their childhood ornaments on the tree and prepared our traditional menu of favorite foods, but once the gifts were unwrapped, I saw how they were changing. Each one had found their voice and was maturing into a unique individual. They'd come home with new assessments on life."
A parent frequently fields parenting questions from others yet withholds unsolicited guidance from adult children to respect their independence. After college, grown children returned home having developed distinct perspectives and self-assurance. Those adult children prioritized expressing their emerging opinions rather than revisiting nostalgic family memories. The parent recognized that unsolicited advice interrupted their maturation and shifted to offering guidance only when requested. Over time, communication became reciprocal, with both generations sharing insights and learning from each other's experiences while honoring boundaries and individual growth.
Read at Business Insider
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