7 of 12

Yes

Write now Article Tools

Parents who fail to give their children proper discipline, instruction, and responsibility during the most critical years of their children's lives, often, find themselves unnecessarily saddled with the burden of supporting them when they are grown adults. This is usually, but not always the fault of the parents. Social, religious, and political changes can and do occur naturally in ever society and culture in the world. These inevitable changes continuously alter the traditions and roles that individual members of families assigned.

The roles of parents and children in today's modern society differ greatly from generations past. A hundred or so years ago, children had only three options if their parents could not afford to send them to school. Children could be forced to work, either at home in the family business or on a farm. They could also be forced to labor at an unclean and unsafe factory for low wages. Wages that could be taken away from them by their parents. Fortunately, many parents worked hard and diligently prepared their children for the immense duties and responsibilities of adulthood. Extended families living in the same household were not uncommon in those days so, it was always in best interest of the families to invest time, money, and training into the lives of their children. These investments would eventually pay off for the parents,who, in turn, would be provided for by their children in the same households.

In modern day society, the family has been modified by moral values and economic tides that change every few years. Parents in our dynamic family systems must be just as diligent in preparing their children for adulthood. Children must be able to survive financially, physically, and emotionally in the cruel and unpredictable world totally independent of their parents. This can only be accomplished by parents who remain parents until their children have reached a state of maturity and independence. This may occur earlier in some children than others, but it must take place before the parents abandon their roles as parents and caretakers.

Parents cannot afford to be best friends with their children while training them to be independent. However, once children are emotionally prepared, financially able, and physically capable adults they should be given all of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges that come with being adult members of society. Should parents move away from being parents to being friends at this stage in their children's lives? Yes, at this stage parents and children should be friends and alter their former parent child relationships. Parents, even if they are friends with their adult children never really lose their parenting roles completely.

Learn more about this author, Danette M. Scott.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Should a parent move from parent to friend as children grow older??
We want to hear your view. Write now!