Learn with Seshat

Parenting young adults is a very specific kind of adventure. It is equal parts pride, confusion, laughter, and the occasional “Did I really just say that out loud?” moment. No one warns you that one day you will be giving heartfelt life advice while also Googling things you thought you already knew. But here we are.

Here are a few lessons that showed up for me along the way:

1. Sometimes you choose being their friend over being their parent.
There is a moment when you realize they do not need a lecture. They need a human. Someone who listens, laughs, or just sits with them while they figure life out. The parenting part never disappears, but it learns to loosen its grip.

2. Home should always be a place where they feel welcome.
Even when you disagree. Even when their philosophies take a sharp left turn away from yours. Even when they insist they know more than Google. They need to know that no matter how spirited the debate gets, they can always come back to a place where they are loved without conditions.

3. You will not always have the answers.
Shocking, I know. But young adulthood has a way of presenting questions that do not come with a manual. Sometimes the most honest thing you can say is “I don’t know, but I’m right here while you figure it out.”

4. You will never stop worrying about them.
Apparently this is a lifelong subscription you cannot cancel. You cannot worry it away. You just learn to trust that they are finding their own way, even if you would really prefer they text you back faster.

Parenting young adults is messy, meaningful, and full of small moments that teach you just as much as you try to teach them.

Which lesson about parenting young adults has shown up most clearly in your life?