These Adult Kids
Every stage of raising kids is hard.
Infants, toddlers, terrible twos, threes, fours, and fives, sassy, spirited grade schoolers.
(Middle schoolers).
Teenagers with almost-grown adult-level problems.
Young adult kids are a whole different beast. They know even more of the world than teenagers, if it's even possible to know more than everything, but have usually learned enough tact to make you think they agree with you. Your experience, however wise and earned, though, is irrelevant. They are gonna go out and do life no matter what.
I am not sure when I first realized how truly unbearable I was as a young adult. I was kicked out by my parents at 22, not long after graduating college. I was not, shall we say, a good house guest, but in my defense I'd had very little parenting for at least 8 years at that point. My mom had struggled with severe anxiety and other mental health issues since I was 5, with a sorrowful amount of physical ailments on top. She was going through a lot after I graduated and just had no patience for an obnoxious young adult, related or not. So off I went into the very tough world of independence. It sucked, but I managed. Not well, of course, but I worked my ass off and kept myself alive, fed, and housed, and that was, I guess, enough. It made me tough, but I wish I'd been free to be softer.
I am not sure when I realized how differently I wanted to parent my young adults. Was it when one kid moved out during a pandemic to live in a friend's basement? When a grown kid had big problems at school and tried to manage it all on their own (really don't know where they got that from...)? When the ugly reality of managing chronic medical problems came crashing down on BOTH adult kids? I knew I had a choice - tough love, coddling, or unconditional love with a healthy dose of responsibility. I know what I got, and how I still bore the scars of abandonment. So I chose love and teaching. Weathering each wave of young adult chaos has been wildly unfun and occasionally terrifying. I'm sure my kids haven't enjoyed it, either, which is something I try to remind myself of at times of severe frustration when Aruba sounds like a nice place to live. Alone.
The teaching part is easy - it's always easy to tell someone how they screwed up, how to handle it, what not to do next time. I have likely done more of that than needed as patterns - even damaging ones - are hard to break. The unconditional love part - the truly, completely unconditional love part - has been much harder. Not because I don't love them, or because they're terrible people (they're not, they're awesome, just human), but because I was never shown that unconditional love alongside the teaching. Mixing the two has felt awkward and clunky. But I plug on, hoping they get the point. The kid who moved out? I brought them groceries every week for months as they didn't have a car & couldn't get a job. Navigating cooking, cleaning, and dealing with a new family dynamic took care of the teaching part. The kid with serious college problems? I walked them through the steps, made them make phone calls and send emails, and facilitated getting help for what sent them spiraling. I often go to doctor appointments with both kids, if they want me there, as their history and needs are complex and neither likes doctors.
I had thought that by this time I'd be "done" parenting.
Ahahahahahaha!
It's OK, though. I love both watching them fly and helping them land when needed. I hope I can be there for them for a good long while. In between some Aruba vacations, of course.