There's another adult in my house now. A couple of days ago, there were only two, my wife and I. Now there's been a third added. You guessed it: my oldest son turned 18. He's officially an adult. Wow. Our lives are about to change.
There's so much that is now involved in this scenario. He's an adult now. That means responsibility. That wretched word. Responsibility. Don't get me wrong: this young man is relatively responsible for his age. He's a great provider and model for his brother (in most cases). He's working. He took the initiative to get his driver's license. And he's cooki...well we're still working on that. He can make a mean bowl of cereal though!
Responsibility. The transition between being a teenager to an adult is huge, but should be more of a gentle transition. Todd Kestin, a licensed social worker, wrote in the Huffington Post. Basing a point from the book, The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen by Dr. Robert Epstein, PhD, Kestin believes that responsibility is taught through modeling from parents and role models. I believe I have and still do this. It does take some work though. He also says that 'kids with this background have a better sense of direction...They know what they want and go after it with an intense level of confidence'. I hope my wife and I have modeled this behavior.
This is just another part of parenting for departure. Teaching them to embrace their responsibility. Giving him tools he'll need to be a success. There's still more to be done though. But we'll talk of that next time. He's preparing to go to college in the coming months. So in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this time with this new adult.
There's so much that is now involved in this scenario. He's an adult now. That means responsibility. That wretched word. Responsibility. Don't get me wrong: this young man is relatively responsible for his age. He's a great provider and model for his brother (in most cases). He's working. He took the initiative to get his driver's license. And he's cooki...well we're still working on that. He can make a mean bowl of cereal though!
Responsibility. The transition between being a teenager to an adult is huge, but should be more of a gentle transition. Todd Kestin, a licensed social worker, wrote in the Huffington Post. Basing a point from the book, The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen by Dr. Robert Epstein, PhD, Kestin believes that responsibility is taught through modeling from parents and role models. I believe I have and still do this. It does take some work though. He also says that 'kids with this background have a better sense of direction...They know what they want and go after it with an intense level of confidence'. I hope my wife and I have modeled this behavior.This is just another part of parenting for departure. Teaching them to embrace their responsibility. Giving him tools he'll need to be a success. There's still more to be done though. But we'll talk of that next time. He's preparing to go to college in the coming months. So in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this time with this new adult.
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