Does parenting end when your kid turns 18?

I think that parenting with any kind of authority attached to it definitely ends when the child turns 18, but the child (ADULT) should know that if they ever need advice, then the parent will always be there to lovingly offer it, as long as the child asks first. I had to work hard to break the habit of my parents unsolicited advice on things that i knew, and in which I succeeded, but they knew and I knew that if I needed something, that is to say if I asked for it, they were always there.

For some parents, parenting never even begins... that I can never understand. It seems to be the happy medium in middle-America that children move out when they're 18, and mom and dad can hurry up and go back to walking around naked and going on vacation. I think with the state of the economy, more people are being realistic about the importance of maintaining close proximity to family, and focusing more on a life that will lead to extended families living in the same house, just a much larger one for the purpose of being financially secure, as well as emotionally secure for the present and the future... less worry, more prosperity. Though, it's not one sided either, children often can't wait for their independence and emancipation from very early ages depending on their home life, or the attitudes of their parents... and I think everyone at least wants the freedom to venture out in their twenties and mess up their life trying to succeed lol - like the Amish, everyone should get off the farm at least once, and decide for themselves what they want in life. It's also noteworthy that around the world, different cultures have different perceptions on this... in many places it's perfectly acceptable for families to always stay together, and if you look as deep as secluded tribes in far away areas, it would seem that leaving the nest is going against the grain to the point of endangering your own survival and the survival of your family. I was raised by a single mother, and I know she still worries about me no different than if I was a baby... probably even moreso, since the dangers of the world can be more severe and longlasting when you make a mistake at an adult age. I know her mother, my grannie, still spends her days and nights filled with dread and worry for the strife of her children, and grandchildren, and great grand children and is always there as much as she can be as the family is so spread out across the nation and world. I think that's totally natural, and normal... even though a child should always try to convince the worried parent that everything's ok and they shouldn't feel so bad about things all the time, you really can't change that instinct and behavior in a responsible, unconditionally loving parent. That's noble and admirable, and it's just the nature of motherhood and fatherhood, think, but varies from person to person.

I definitely disagree. Forever will we always parent our children. Life as a parent does not stop even when they are old. I believe that children will always go back to their parents no matter what age they are because they need wisdom and understanding from parents.

my father once said to me, "my being a parents does not end by when i am finish sending you to school, it does not end after you marry, and he added, "it will only end the moment i die." to that i understand that being a parent does NOT end after providing our children the basic necessities of life, it will continue until we are still needed by our children. what is IMPORTANT is while our children are still young we have inculcated in them VALUES which they will uphold and help them shape their principles that will guide them in making better and reasonable decisions in life. we have establish in them BELIEF SYSTEM which help our children preserve the dignity of self and others. that we have ENGRAVED in them learning and education which cannot be found in books, but valuable enough because it helps them find their own self, grow their wings, so to speak and help them fly. as first CATECHIST, parents have the responsibility of teaching children the foundations of their FAITH that will guide them in entrusting their faith to the One above them. when we can engraved these in our children, when they are very young and so dependent on us, we can be CONFIDENT that once they grow and have their on they can fully spread their wings and soar. and on the process, WE, as parents earn their respect - that is may be the reason why when they are old enough to live on their own, they still go to us, the parents to ask advises and honor us by taking care us when our capacities is failing us. and loving us when we cannot love our self anymore. 'till the END parents are parents. it DOES NOT cease to exist.

It certenly doesn't.Theoretically, yes but...as long as you live they will be your kids and you'll always want the best for them.Of course you're right: once a mom, always a mom. I have children and i know what this means. I can't even imagine my life withoput them.

Nope... I'm 43 and still have to listen to and answer to mom... even while she lives 2500 miles away. She's not an overbearing woman. I think that boys are naturally programmed to always want their mothers' approval. Some people say "authority ends at 18" but I disagree. As I said, it never completely ends... but it becomes more of a voluntary and less of a "because I said so" factor only AFTER the child is independent enough to live on their own. If that doesn't happen till the child is 30, then so be it.

I think to a degree parenting stops at eighteen but not really. I will always be there for my kids just like my parents are there for me. Now I dont think I can tell them really what to do after the age of eighteen but if they are still living in my house they are going to follow the rules that me and my wife have set down for them. After eighteen I dont know if I am going to be able to bail them out if they get into a tough situation. I am going to tell them that it is there responsibility to handle the problem now that they are 18. If they come to me and ask for help or advice I will try my best to help them.

You're always their mother no matter what.When they move out on their own it changes,when they marry it changes even more.If they are at home your more involved with their lives,what's going on,eating habits,spending.On their own you know less what they're doing but still mom.

Being a parent means it is a whole life job for me. Here we have a saying: Bringing up a child for a hundred year, and you have to be worried about him/her for 99 years. Even if my child grows up, he is still my child in my opinion. I will care and love him till the time I am gone. I love China

I agree with you 100% I think that once you are a parent you are always a parent. My kids are 5 and 2 right now but I guarantee that when they are 60 and I am 80 I will still be there for them and help them out as best as I can. Just because your child grows up and is a legal adult and can care for themselves doesnt mean that they dont need you anymore. I still need the love of my parents at 26. I want my children to know that I will always be there for them even if its just someone to talk to. I hope that I will be fortunate enough that someday if they need help financially that I will be able to help them with that as well.

it depends on your culture. here in the philippines, most parents still decides for their children as long as they are still living with them. I am already 28, with a job but I have to ask permission and their approval if I want to go somewhere, and I still can't stay overnight at my friends house.

once a mother, always a mother. You will always be a mom even if your kids grow up, has own family, and has grand kids already. I don't think it will ever end. Here in Philippines, independence upon reaching 18 is unusual. Most parents won't allow their sons and daughters stay away from home until they have their own family. We just care too much.

hi kdk parentinng never ends when one's kids turn 18. age of child is not at all determines parenting should stop or not. at every stage of life we have different situations and challenges which our parents may have already passed through. so..........

Your solution lies in your problem itself :) Everyone has a life of their own. even kids. just because they are kids, because they cant object, you let them do stuff that only "you" want them to. being a boss is fun, but it doesnt lasts long. Slowly your kid realizes that he ought to break out of your "trap" and explore the world around him. he feels like "they never let me do it..its time i take my own stance, and do it..no matter what they tell me", "will they shape my future the way i want it?, will they die with me? if no, then who are they to tell me?". The kid takes you as a type of blockade in his/her life. slowly, as he grows up, he makes use of his rights to leave you far behind and walks the path that he had always desired, but never allowed to walk on... Wouldn't it have been nice if you allowed him/her to walk on that path from the beginning? :) constantly, encouraging him to do whatever he likes, allow him to risk everything to become that others usually dont become. keep the faith in him/her and modify his path when you see errors in his path. treat your son/daughter as a friend and you'll see they will neer turn their face around ,no matter how old they are... :)

Being a Mum is a Life time pleasure, no matter how old they are they will always need their Mum, My Son and Daughter are 25 and 22, they both work, lead their own Life but always need Mum for advise, to cry to when it gets tough, to tell her they love her, I was scared when they turned 18 thinking they will not need me, but they do, My Children and I have always been close and still are very close, so no Parenting never stops it is for Life

I think parenting ends only as one parent's life ended. Yes, parenting is a lifetime responsibility. Although, it is true that as our children grows, our responsibility over them seems to lessen, the truth is the responsibility still remains. Our parent child relationship should always stay. Even if our children have grown up and build their own families already, their parents remain their parents and the still have the right to give advice, guide them and remind them if they are not living their life the right way. The parent remains like the holy spirit who keep watching their children and how they are doing.

I don't think at 18, may be twenty.Now I am 21.I get frustrated when my father commands me to do something.I don't like his orders.Parents should give advices to us but should not command us.After certain age I want to take my independent decisions. My parents don't understand this.I am almost perfect in decision.Well educated and well mannered.I told my parents once even then they didn't understand.

I think at 18 you switch to a different phase of parenthood and that it lasts from 18 to 23 or 25. I just don't know too many 18 year olds that are ready for a life without a safety net, or the guidance that comes from the net holder. I have 2 that are almost 30 years old and it has been only the 8 years or so that I have not had to "parent' them in someway. The 18 year old living here is in no way ready for total independence without us there for back-up.

Honestly, I admire you for being the greatest mom your kids have ever had. I mean no one can argue with the sacrifices a mother had to bear, from the time she conceived her child in her womb up to only God knows in both of their lives. I personally believe that parenting does not end when a kid turns eighteen. Our kids may choose to walk in their own paths when they come of age, but the way we instilled values and directions in their minds while they were still young would count the most. I also believe that we parents do not own our children. Time will come when they will also decide to become parents and build their own families, but the ties that bind the parent-child relationship will remain. In the same manner that God did not create robots but humans, we are here to guide our children to the right path and not totally control their lives for them. http://www.mylot.com/?ref=bananarepublica