Parenting and the Adult Child

Over at Moxie's site, she has done an amazing job of dissecting and discussing parenting and the adult child. Here are some bullet points I lifted from her site and would like to elaborate:

• What can I reasonably get from my parent?

• Is that enough?

• If not, is there someplace else I can get that so I'm able to let go of the need to get it from my parent?

• What am I willing to give up to get something from my parent?

• If I take steps to setting some boundaries, do I have a way to check myself so I don't get guilted or manipulated into abandoning those boundaries just to keep peace or win approval?

• Am I prepared for short-term anger and hostility when I start to draw some boundaries?

• Is there anyone else who knows my parent who can help me troubleshoot and back me up in my plan?

These are excellent nuggets for thought. I have dealt with a lot of issues as a child and then an adult child and would like to use these points to expand on my own experience.

Full disclosure: Moxie's post was about the adult child as a parent, and I am not a parent. Her posts, however, inextricably link the adult child with her own parent, and that is the basis for my rambling.

Future posts will look at these bullet points in more detail as they have related to my own experience.