993. Are We Ever Released from the Responsibilities of Parenting? By Julie de Azevedo Hanks · January 16, 2018, in Meridian Magazine
These are great thoughts, and very wise! Are We Ever Released from the Responsibilities of Parenting? By Julie de Azevedo Hanks · January 16, 2018 We’ve heard phrases like “parenting is a calling from which you are never released [i] , [ii] ” over the pulpit many times, but rarely do we actually reflect on what this means. When taken literally, that it’s a parent’s job to continue to be their child’s caretaker throughout their lives, this belief can create enmeshed families with weak boundaries that undermine the adult child’s agency. Here are some ideas to consider about the danger of parents who are overly involved with their adult children and adult children who don’t fully transition into an adult role. Intrusive Parents Too often, this belief of eternal parenthood is used to justify a parent giving constant (often unsolicited) input or criticism into an adult child’s life decisions. Does never being released from parenthood mea...
