Top Articles for Seniors - 2023

5 Things Adult Children Wish Their Parents Understood

As adults, the way our parents treat us can also deeply affect us. In retrospect, as adults, we can often think of many things we wish our parents would understand.

Each generation faces a unique set of challenges. The Baby Boomers were born into a world recovering from war, discovering how to pursue peace, lay down prejudices, and step into the future without fear. Today's young adults—a mixture of younger Millennials and older Gen Z-ers—face a world consumed by technology, a society that prioritizes social media's likes and comments over face-to-face conversation. This digitized world makes it harder for young adults to fully communicate how they are feeling and where they are coming from, whether they simply need to say, "You've hurt me," or "I need to know you're proud of me."

Take a few moments to discover five things adult children wish their parents understood.

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10 Ways You're Hurting the Relationship with Your Adult Children (Without Knowing It)

As parents, we practice parenting for so many years we often neglect to consider our future relationship as parents of adult children. We never consider how “parenting” becomes “being a parent.”

There's little room for gray spaces and emotional misunderstandings when you tell your eight-year-old son, "Do not climb that tree!" Of course, this doesn't mean your children will obey or fully understand the tension behind those words, but "Do not climb that tree!" means just that - don't climb the tree. Yet, when children grow up and become independent adults, your role shifts from telling them to not climb the tree to stepping back and letting them decide which "trees" they will climb. It's hard, no doubt, to make that shift, but it's crucial to navigate your new role as the parent of adult children with grace and ease to not only preserve healthy relationships with them but with their growing families. 

Check out 10 ways you might be unintentionally hurting your relationship with your adult children.

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7 Unique Things Grandparents Offer Grandchildren

A child's life is incredibly enriched when they have a grandparent coming alongside them to help them embrace childhood and eventually become an adult. Grandparents offer grandchildren unique parts of their lives that they don't get anywhere else.

Let's cut to the chase—grandparents are the fun ones. They sneak extra candy, let the littles stay up past their bedtime, and tend to grow very lax in the discipline department. But that's what puts the "grand" in "grandparents," right?

Whether sharing this bit of disciplinary freedom, rich traditions, extra snuggly love, or experiential wisdom, grandparents share a special bond with grandchildren. 

Discover 7 unique things grandparents offer their grandchildren.

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Scriptures to Show How Important Grandparents Are

Today, let’s take a few moments to stop and reflect on the value of grandparents—past or present. Let’s dive into a few Scriptures that offer beautiful words of affirmation about the aged—words that show just how important grandparents truly are.

Father Abraham had tons of sons–this was a blessing uniquely ordained by God after Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. His obedience not only reaped the blessing of preserving Isaac's life but allowed God's people, the children of Israel, to descend from Abraham's lineage. This offers a clear understanding that God not only creates but honors grandparents and their roles in establishing the next generation of God-fearing leaders.

Scripture isn't shy in sharing how we should treat, respect, and honor our elders, but it's also open in reminding us of how crucial the generations gone-by truly are in shaping our faith.

Read through Scripture that shows how important grandparents are.

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