4 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children
Are you looking for a book on parenting adult children? I think many people are, but the problem is that so few have been written. I have read many books on empty nesting, but only 3 solely dedicated to Parenting Adult Children. While I am sorry I can’t give you a long list of the best books for parenting adult children, I will share with you what I have found.
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What to Read When Parenting Adult Children
#1 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children: Empty Nest, Full Life by Jill Savage
Empty Nest, Full Life is about empty nesting, but the entire first section deals with our adult children.
This book is the deepest, most vulnerable, and raw of all of the books I read. The first half of the book concerns relationships with adult children. Jill has truly struggled and come out the other side including loving her homosexual son and his friends and dealing with mental illness in another son. Her insight into what drives us as parents to try to control our adult children and beat ourselves up if they do not “turn out” like we would have wanted is unmatched in any of the other books I read.
Quote from Empty Nest, Full Life:
… I’d made my children’s behavior an idol. I was using them to define myself. In order to have a healthy relationship with my kids, I had to let go of my idols.
#2 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children: Doing Life with Your Adult Children by Jim Burns
Best Quote in Doing Life with Your Adult Children:
No parent wants to see a child end up homeless, make unwise decisions, or lead a negative lifestyle. But this is where parents must face their fears and decide what is best for their child in the long run.
Doing Life with your Adult Children is a practical guide to having good relationships with your grown children. He covers topics such as when to insert your opinion, avoiding entitlement, in-laws, and stepfamilies, grandchildren, and financial planning (including estate planning) with your kids.
#3 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children: Praying the Scriptures for your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love by Jodie Berndt
Best Quote in Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love
God doesn’t want us to trust in an outcome, he wants us to trust in him.
* This quote comes from the Epilogue of the book, but it is a great summary for the book.
Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love is as much about praying over ourselves as it is praying for our children. One of the biggest struggles we moms face as our children grow up is letting them go and giving them and their decisions to the Lord.
#4 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children: How to Really Love Your Adult Child by Chapman and Cambell
At first I was not too sure about How to Really Love Your Adult Child. It starts with a long dialogue about our culture and its affects on our kids. While culture is always a factor in all of our lives, I don’t find it helpful to wring our hands over it and give up. As I moved into the chapters the advice became much more practical and helpful.
Ross Campbell is a psychiatrist specializing in children and family issues. Gary Chapman is a minister and counselor. I appreciate the expertise of a physician especially when dealing with depression, ADHD, and other issues in our children.
#5 Best Books for Parenting Adult Children: Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children: Six Steps to Hope and Healing for Struggling Parents by Bottke
This author created a set of six steps for dealing with adult children who could not launch. Using the acronym SANITY, she gives real life, honest ways to set boundaries, and set your child free while staying sane. Some of the techniques she uses are: creating a support group for yourself, trusting yourself, and STOPing some damaging behaviors that you as a parent are doing to prolong the problem. Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children: Six Steps to Hope and Healing for Struggling Parents is a wonderful resource.
Books for Parenting Adult Children
Empty Nest, Full Life: Discovering God’s Best for Your Next
Buy Now →
Doing Life with Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out
Buy Now →
Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love
Buy Now →
How to Really Love Your Adult Child: Building a Healthy Relationship in a Changing World
Buy Now →Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children
Buy Now →Unfortunately that’s all there is folks in my list of Best Books on Parenting Adult Children. I reviewed one more book. It was written in 2008 and seemed out of date. The author was talking about being pregnant in 1965! Her child is older than I am, so I did not include it.
Related posts for Best Books for Parenting Adult Children:
Help! I’m Parenting Adult Children
7 Great Books for Empty Nesters: Many of these books have sections about adult children
5 Ways to Find Purpose as an Empty Nester
5 Ideas for Celebrating Easter with Adult Children
5 Creative Ways to Celebrate the Holidays with Adult Children
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