Parenting a young adult is a whole different ballgame.
The phone call came while she was at school, a couple of states away. She was upset, telling me about a problem, so I offered some suggestions. Her next statement caught me off guard. "Instead of telling me what to do, sometimes I just need you to listen."
I spoke to her a few minutes more, but I had to get off the phone before I said something I was going to regret. My feelings were incredibly hurt. After all, I was only trying to help.
But after I calmed down, I started thinking about when I was her age. And I realized two things. One, I remember feeling almost the same way at times. And two, she will one day understand my intentions were good.
So, the next time she called with a problem, I asked her, "Would you like my help with this, or do you just want me to listen?" And we had a great conversation.
Now, that doesn't mean we've ended all bumps in our relationship, but it sure has gone a long way in improving our communication. Getting ready to see how it works with kid #2.
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