Growing Apart: Letting Go of Our Young Adults

Like a kite, parents need to let out more string to allow the young adult to find their own path to responsible independence. Eventually, we must let go and allow them to define their future no longer tethered to the string we hold in our hand. It's a bittersweet time of liberation and celebration and sadness and loss knowing the family we created will never be the same. It's a critical juncture in the life of parents who now need to find a path to growth and fulfillment apart from their young adult. This book will help you let go and grow. -- Jack Stoltzfus PhD, parentslettinggo.com Jack is the master at understanding the challenges for today's parents. He provides practical understanding, realistic steps, and validation of the difficulties of making the parental decisions needed for the emotional health of both the parent and the adult child. -- Dr. Cheryl Leitschuh, parent and author, Straight Talk for Smart Business Women: Critical Tools to Build and Grow Your Business. Dr. Stoltzfus has captured the core of parenting in this practical and profound guide of later stage parenting's dual role; letting go of power over adult children, while holding tight to love them well. Simple truths, driven by research and many years of parental and career experience, permeate this book. "How to" worksheets will move you toward open, satisfying, and meaningful relationships with your adult children. Parents of adult children can greatly benefit from this easy to read book that offers hope and healing. -- Dr. Penny Giesbrecht, parent and author of Where is God When a Child Suffers? As a parent of three young adults, I found this book helpful first in that it helped me understand the challenges and complications that make this process so difficult. Second, the author provides insights as well as practical ideas of how to manage this letting go while maintaining a healthy relationship between you as a parent and your young adult. -- A parent who attended a parents letting go workshop.