Your Parents Are People Too -- Relating to Them as an Adult

There comes a point where you stop seeing your parents through the lens of childhood and start seeing them as flawed, complicated humans who did their best with what they had. This doesn't mean excusing harm or pretending everything was fine. It means recognizing that understanding and accountability can coexist.

The adult relationship with your parents is one you have to consciously build. It requires renegotiating old dynamics, setting boundaries without guilt, and sometimes grieving the parent you wished you had. That grief is valid. So is choosing to build something new from where you both are now.