When Do Children Become Adults?

When Do Children Become Adults?

I don’t know what to think of this.  Parents are here to protect children and ensure that they reach adulthood.  But if parents monitor every step that a child takes, how do they become adults?  When do they make mistakes that they have to fix on their own- just as they would as adults?  When do they get lost and gain confidence that they can find their own way? When do they learn that maybe sometimes, it makes sense to seek advice and learn from someone else’s mistakes?

Parents monitor not just their elementary school children’s worlds but their middle schooler’s, teen’s and college student’s worlds.  Children are in college and even then parents do not trust that their children are adults- getting involved to solve issues in the nuances of their children’s lives.  Don’t get me wrong, good parents are an invaluable life long resource for their children but what age do we think a child is an adult entitled to privacy and trusted to navigate our world?  And when they reach that age, did we prepare them with enough skills and confidence to take that leap?

If this made you think, you may enjoy Raising Children- Basics We Can’t Do Without