America Trends Podcast

America Trends Podcast


EP 713 Parenting the Adult Child in a New Way

December 04, 2023

You may have thought that getting your child through those tough teenage years meant the end of your full immersion parenting, but after listening to this podcast, you may want to think again.  In fact, with new brain research and a host of changes in our economy and society, your child may need you more in their 20’s and 30’s than they did in their teenage years.  Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University, and author of “You and Your Adult Child: How to Grow Together in Challenging Times” offers a new blueprint for our responsibility as parents going forward in our children’s lives. We may not be prepared for the dual responsibility of providing enough support while recognizing their need for autonomy as they blaze their singular path in the adult world.  Issues like finances, their choice of romantic partners and later their approach to parenting require a delicate balance as you assess what help they might need and how to provide it.  We’ll share ideas as he does in his book that few psychologists, heretofore, have taken on.  Previously, writings in this field have focused on estrangement between parents and adult children.  While he addresses that important topic, his work goes far beyond that.