Pam Broker, the founder and director of Milestones for Young Adults in Idaho, a young adult program, spoke to Lon Woodbury and Liz McGhee on Parent Choices for Struggling Teens show on L.A. Talk Radio. She talked about what young adults need to do to grow up and become independent, mature adults. The host of the show, Lon Woodbury is the founder of Woodbury Reports. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984. Co-host Elizabeth McGhee is the Director of Admissions and Referral Relations at Sandhill Child Development Center. She has over 19 years of clinical, consulting and referral relations experience. Parent Choices for Struggling Teens is sponsored by Father Flanagan's Boys Town in Nebraska.
About Pamela Broker
Pamela Broker is the owner of a young adult program called Milestones for Youthful Adults. She has worked with adolescents, young adults and their family members for numerous years, including working at no less than 6 different programs in the Northwest as an admissions director.
Challenges on the Young Adult's Path to Independence
The young adult's path to independence in the United States is strewn with difficulties. The classic path of maturity-working, getting married, raising children, and contributing to society-is becoming increasingly difficult for young people to follow. There are many reasons for this situation. It may be due to society's influence-it takes longer to get a good education and entry level jobs barely pay for the cost of food and shelter and life's necessities. It may be due to the impact of telecommunication devices-it's possible for a child to get all their needs met vicariously through Internet access. It may be due to over-functioning parents doing everything for their children. It may be due to the child having psychological problems like learning disorders or addictions. However, Pamela also believed, a large part of the issue may simply be due to the child's reluctance to leave home. "They are comfortable where they are," she explained. "Why would they do something different? They get an allowance, a roof over their head, a warm bed, and tasty meals."
Pamela offered several suggestions for parents: give children bottom line directives, give them the ball to play the game of life, and allow them to learn from their mistakes if they run out of money. She also suggested that parents make it clear to their children that their child's chaos is not the parent's chaos. Additionally, toward the close of the show, she outlined out how parents can get external help from their local community, from life coaches, and from organizations dedicated to helping young adults mature.
Summary
The discussion covered issues like why young adults are floundering in life and experiencing a "failure to launch." It also covered the negative impact of helicopter parents, the influence of telecommunication technology, and the increasing complexity and alienation experienced in modern society. Finally, it touched on how children's brains don't fully develop until they are twenty-five years old, how parenting has changed over the decades, and how parents can take practical steps to make their children take responsibility for their own lives.
About Pamela Broker
Pamela Broker is the owner of a young adult program called Milestones for Youthful Adults. She has worked with adolescents, young adults and their family members for numerous years, including working at no less than 6 different programs in the Northwest as an admissions director.
Challenges on the Young Adult's Path to Independence
The young adult's path to independence in the United States is strewn with difficulties. The classic path of maturity-working, getting married, raising children, and contributing to society-is becoming increasingly difficult for young people to follow. There are many reasons for this situation. It may be due to society's influence-it takes longer to get a good education and entry level jobs barely pay for the cost of food and shelter and life's necessities. It may be due to the impact of telecommunication devices-it's possible for a child to get all their needs met vicariously through Internet access. It may be due to over-functioning parents doing everything for their children. It may be due to the child having psychological problems like learning disorders or addictions. However, Pamela also believed, a large part of the issue may simply be due to the child's reluctance to leave home. "They are comfortable where they are," she explained. "Why would they do something different? They get an allowance, a roof over their head, a warm bed, and tasty meals."
Pamela offered several suggestions for parents: give children bottom line directives, give them the ball to play the game of life, and allow them to learn from their mistakes if they run out of money. She also suggested that parents make it clear to their children that their child's chaos is not the parent's chaos. Additionally, toward the close of the show, she outlined out how parents can get external help from their local community, from life coaches, and from organizations dedicated to helping young adults mature.
Summary
The discussion covered issues like why young adults are floundering in life and experiencing a "failure to launch." It also covered the negative impact of helicopter parents, the influence of telecommunication technology, and the increasing complexity and alienation experienced in modern society. Finally, it touched on how children's brains don't fully develop until they are twenty-five years old, how parenting has changed over the decades, and how parents can take practical steps to make their children take responsibility for their own lives.
About the Author:
Learn more about Lon Woodbury on Struggling Teens. He has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at any time.
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