3 Ways To Maintain A Strong Relationship With Your Parents As An Adult
As an adult, having a strong relationship with your parents can not only help you to have a great connection to your past, but you can also have the support and love that you both need for the future. However, not everyone has seamlessly made the transition from being a dependent of their parents to having an adult relationship with one another. But if you work at, you can have a fulfilling relationship with your parents filled with mutual love and respect.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to maintain a strong relationship with your parents as an adult.
Act Like An Adult
According to Suzannah Weiss, a contributor to Bustle.com, one reason why some people find it hard to have a strong relationship with their parents as they become adults is because it’s hard for each side to look past their childhood. Sometimes, your parents may still treat you like a child. And on other occasions, you may find yourself reverting back to your childish behaviors when around your parents.
To combat this, it’s important that you always act like the adult you are when around your parents. Even if your parents seem to have a hard time adjusting to this transition, by acting like an adult, you’ll help your parents see you in a different light and be better able to have an adult relationship with one another.
Spend Meaningful Time Together
To have a strong relationship with your parents, you’ve got to put some effort into that relationship.
In most situations, this can be accomplished by spending meaningful time together. If you don’t already have something that you enjoy doing together, Maud Purcell, a contributor to PsychCentral.com, recommends that you try to find a new activity or hobby that you can participate in together as equals. Luckily, this is something that can be accomplished even if your parents live in an assisted living community or are experiencing health or other issues.
Consider Therapy
Sometimes, things that happened in the past with your parents may make it hard for you to have an adult relationship with them now. But if both of you desire this, even if you’re not sure how to get things started on your own, Dr. Janet Brito, a contributor to Greatist.com, shares that you can make some serious headway if you’re willing to consider therapy, either individually or together. This can be especially helpful if you feel like you need to take more of a parental role and care for your parents as they start to get older.
If you’d like to develop and maintain a strong relationship with your parents well into your own adult years, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so.
