"When my friend told me she hadn't heard from her adult son in three months, except for a text about splitting the cost of his grandmother's birthday gift, I saw the hurt in her eyes. "He used to tell me everything," she said, stirring her coffee absently. "Now I feel like I'm bothering him when I call." As someone who's watched this pattern unfold in countless families, including moments in my own, I've noticed something striking."
"Parents often wonder why their grown children seem distant, but rarely consider that their own unchanged behaviors might be pushing them away. The truth is, adult children don't just randomly decide to limit contact. Usually, there are specific behaviors that create invisible walls between generations. And here's the hard part: These behaviors often come from a place of love, which makes them even harder to recognize and change."
Many parents continue to treat adult children like teenagers by offering unsolicited advice, interrupting conversations, and doubting their judgment. Such behaviors signal a lack of trust and provoke reduced sharing from grown children. Persistent criticism, control, overinvolvement, guilt-tripping, and blurred boundaries erect invisible walls across generations. These behaviors often originate from care and concern, which makes them difficult to recognize and change. As a result, adult children may limit contact, respond with minimal communication, or withdraw emotionally. Awareness of these patterns and intentional respect for autonomy, boundaries, and affirmation of competence can help repair strained parent-adult child relationships.
Read at Silicon Canals
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