One of the best explanations our marriage and couples counselors have ever heard about what it means to be an adolescent is that these creatures, even at their healthiest, often exist to drive us crazy! The reason is they have a hole in the brain or as yet insufficient myelenation in their pre-frontal cortex.
For two devoted lovers who have managed, with understandable ups and downs, to get through the early child rearing years, when the darlings hit adolescence, often with a bang, the parents are face with a whole new set of challenges designed to cause them high anxiety. High anxiety over such issues as body piercings, tattoos, sleepovers, late night or all night parties and last, but certainly not least, sex! Oh, and let’s not forget safe sex, alcohol and drugs.
It’s extremely difficult for caring parents to give their former children the emotional space to grow into greater independence and autonomy while still giving them the limits they need. The former kids may behave like impressively sophisticated young adults one minute, but the next they morph into confused, anxious children. It’s a roller coaster for their loving parents!
It’s also difficult for the parents to begin adjusting to the prospect of their deeply loved, half-adult, half-child adolescents eventually leaving the nest and making their own place in the world.
Finally, faced with the impending prospect of an empty nest after they’ve all flown away, what will the parents decide do with their lives? How will they fill the void left by their absent children? A new career? Travel? Artistic pursuits? What specific uses will be made of so called leisure time? There’s nothing worse then sitting in a boat, adrift, drifting aimlessly without any wind in the sails.
Our marriage and couples counselors can help you navigate through this difficult, challenging period. Take a look at:
