How To Let Your Child Grow Up
It can be one of the hardest things in the world, watching your child progress past the first few phases of their lives. While seeing them mature into their own unique people is a wonderful thing, it can be hard to let go so they can develop on their own terms. If you wish for your child to be a well-functioning adult one day, you’ll need to let them have a modicum of independence as they get older. Here, we’ll look at how to let your child grow up, so you both can be excited about the future.
Treat Them More like Adults
If you want your child to eventually be okay with becoming an adult, you’ll need to stop babying them so much as they grow. While this can be difficult, remember that this coddling tends to not be helpful once your child starts moving into their tween phase. Treating your child as a baby when they aren’t one is a quick way to foster resentment and distancing, which no one wants.
Stay Open-Minded
As your children develop their own personalities, you may feel the urge to push back. It may seem like this will cause you to not be as close to them, so you’ll try and force your own beliefs and desires on them. Understand that your child is exploring the world around them on their own for the first time; they need you to be open-minded so they can come to you with questions and concerns.
Talk More Openly With Them
Speaking of concerns, don’t be afraid to share yours with your newly individualized child. When you create an open dialogue between yourself and your child, you foster a better relationship with them. This relationship is one where the child feels safe and supported, but also free enough to develop on their own. Take their feelings seriously—just because their issues may seem small, that doesn’t mean they aren’t still very real to your child.
Be Kind To Yourself
You’ve devoted a significant portion of your life to protecting and caring for your child, and it is understandable that letting go could have a profound effect on you. Allow yourself to feel sad about the transition. As you say goodbye to them as they leave for school, or you begin the process of getting rid of toys they no longer play with, don’t bottle up your feelings, or they could come back in undesired ways.
We hope these tips on how to let your child grow up will help you get through this difficult transition period. Growing up is an unfortunate part of life, but your child deserves to have you there to help them through it.
