Of all the ages, we believe the most endearing to work with, has to be the teens who are in between 17 and 19. The age known to be the most turbulent of all, is a reason of stress for many families who worry about their ‘little’ child being a ‘grown-up’.
Parenting is not an easy task, especially when you are a parent to a child who is in their penultimate teen years. Parents worry about losing authority over their child, they worry about that repeated ‘I can do whatever I want’ mantra which will inevitably seep in once their child legally becomes an adult.
We appreciate the predicament that the parents feel, however we believe the real life begins at 18. The introduction to ground realities, the panic surrounding the career, responsibilities towards the loved ones, 18 seems to be an overwhelming age where a person transforms from having a secured leisure filled life to a life filled to the brim with rigor and hard-work.
For the child, turning 18 might be a big event as they legally turn adult and gain access to things which usually are restricted to the adult clan, however it seems to be an ever bigger even for parents who cannot assimilate the fact that there ‘little’ child is no longer little.
Turning into an adult does not imply that a person immediately becomes capable of paying their own rent, buy insurance, take out groceries and pay their own bills. We would here like to make an argument.
According to us, parents have much proliferated influence and control over their kids after they turn 18, than before. Looking at it from a different perspective altogether, when a kid turns 18 it is more of a boon than a bane. It is a prime opportunity for them to make them understand the value of integrity and accountability.
Having said this, if your legally ‘adult’ child demands to be treated like an adult, it is important to teach them how to act like an adult first.
