“How to help your almost-adult child” is a question every parent asks themselves, at least once in their lives. But to have a child who is not classified as “normal” can prove to be a little more difficult to prepare for adulthood.
How do you even begin to help your child to be ready for adulthood? I have a few suggestions I have put together and would love for you to read on.
Where To Begin
This can be a tough one. How do you know where to begin? Not only will that will have a great deal to do with how your situation plays out, but you can also write down what you need help with. Myself, I have always known I was going to have an adult child with me for the majority of my life. And I am okay with that.
Having the knowledge is the first step. And sometimes that is not easy. Because for most people that means admitting there is something to be concerned with. And normally that is the case.
But knowing what you are up against makes it easier to know the next steps.
Gathering Information
Gathering information is the next step. Not only information about why, but also the information on what you can do. A great place to start is with 2-1-1. It covers all of the US. If you have issues, you can also Google it for your state or local county.
2-1-1 can help to guide you to things such as mental health help, but also things such as housing and food help. Another good resource for young people is just plain old Google. It can give you so much, such as local service providers and clinics.
Finding Yourself In An Emergency?
If you happen to find yourself in an emergency though, we have a hotline for that as well. The National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline help to guide you to services in an emergency situation. They are an amazing asset to have.
Emergencies can be anything from feeling like the world is going to end, to wanting to end the world for yourself, to just feeling alone. It just depends on the person. But it can all be taken care of.
Finding The Right Thing For You
I could go on for hours about how life is and how much it can suck at times, but that is not the purpose of this. This is to help you figure out a starting point to helping your adult children, no matter the situation. For me, it consists of holding my son’s hand through the transition of services and making sure he knows he has the support no matter what.
I know it can be hard, but make sure you are using the tools and support you have. Make sure you have all of the information you possibly can, even if you feel like you might be bugging people. And most importantly, take time for yourself.
[…] never has and never should be a factor. Because your children will always need you. They will need the love you showed them as a baby, all the way through life. And trust me, just […]