Adult Children and Adult Parents

The transition from parenting a dependent child to relating to an independent adult is one of the most psychologically complex shifts in family life. It is often a "silent" transition; unlike the day you bring a baby home or drop a teenager off at college, there is no single ceremony that marks the moment you stop being your child’s "manager" and start being their "consultant." This ambiguity often breeds conflict. Research by Jeffrey Arnett , the psychologist who coined the

As the holidays approach, there is a specific physical sensation that acts as a barometer for the health of your family dynamics. For some, it is a flutter of excitement—a lightness that says, "I can't wait to see them." For others, it is a heavy, calcified knot in the stomach—a dread that says, "I have to survive this." This difference isn't just about personality types or introversion vs. extroversion. It is often the difference between two powerful relational forces: Expec

There is a quiet but massive shift happening in family dynamics today. More adult children than ever before are choosing to pull way back—or cut ties entirely—with their parents. For the older generation, this often feels sudden, cruel, or confusing. They may ask, "What did I do?" But for the adult child, this decision is rarely sudden. It is usually the result of years, sometimes decades, of "death by a thousand cuts." It is not an act of malice; it is often an act of surviv