Here’s another card where the question is perfect, but the answer, well, I ran out of room. When there’s family trouble, wanting to reclaim the age of innocence (Christmas around the hearth with 5-year-olds) can disguise the fact that being adult friends can be very fulfilling, and may feel safer to the now adult kids than placing themselves entirely in their original dependent state (dependence on parents for consistent advice, approval, and family symbolism is a risk if things have been shaky lately). So a good goal is to reconnect as “friends” rather than as “family”… and what’s wrong with that? Parents with adult children are supposed to be more friends than parents anyway, a two-way street.
It may be hard for them to feel safe relying on you as their only source for love. But there should be common ground, “safe topics”, and activities you can share. It helps if you make an apology & try to make amends. But you shouldn’t need to repeat it. Be less a parent & more an old friend to reconnect best. <3 ——– Want daily inspiration? Subscribe! And try my other blog, Weird Boston Events. |