Making the Best of It - Building on the Bonds between Parents and Adult Children (Paperback)

Parents and their children are important to each other throughout a lifetime. Their bond may be close or distant, loving or troubled but rarely is it indifferent. As children grow into independence, pursuing their own interests and loves, as parents lose the daily preoccupation of children at home, all face challenges in the way they relate to each other. Whybrow addresses the landmarks and difficulties that occur within families and suggests ways of dealing with them. Some changes, such as children's marriages and grandchildren, are faced by most people and generally welcomed, some bring unhappiness, such as family feuds and children with special problems, and still others, such as occasional discomfort or hurt feelings, are commonplace. Whether met with pleasure, disquiet, or anxiety each shift in the circumstances of one member affects everyone else. Parents must forego some lifelong habits as they let go of being the primary people in their grown children's lives. Advice, for instance, becomes less often appropriate or even relevant. Whybrow is an able and experienced guide for those who find themselves perplexed in their efforts to have a nurturing and supportive relationship with the members of their family. She conveys her belief that with good intent, with some personal awareness and love, parents and adult children can do much to create the kind of bond that is enriching and fulfilling for all.