ADAPT TO YOUR CHILDREN'S INDEPENDENCE

Changing roles call for adaptability.  How true this proves to be when adult children leave home and get married!  For many parents this is the first reminder that they are getting old.  Though happy that their offspring have come of age, parents often worry about whether they did all they could to prepare the children for independence.  And they may miss having them around the house.

Understandably, parents continue to concern themselves with the welfare of their children, even after the children leave home.  "If I could only hear from them often, to reassure myself that they are all right-that would make me happy," said one mother.  A father relates:  "When our daughter left home, it was a very difficult time. It left a great gap in our family because we had always done everything together." How have these parents coped with the absence of their children?  In many cases, by reaching out and helping other people.

When children get married, the role of the parents changes. Genesis 2:24 states:  "A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh." A recognition of the godly principles of headship and good order will help parents to help keep things in their proper perspective. -1 Corinthians 11:3; 14:33, 40. 

Next time: Conclusion of ADAPT TO YOUR CHILDREN'S INDEPENDENCE

From the book: THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS, 1996