Parenting is, by far, one of the most challenging tasks that a mother and father must face. It’s not something that happens in a day. It’s a continuous progression of changes that occur over a long period. And if you have been successful as a parent, your child will be capable of making measured, responsible decisions although there will be many mistakes along that path. 
And yet, there is no line saying yes, this person is ready to be completely independent. He or she doesn’t need my input anymore. When my oldest daughter moved out into an apartment in Philadelphia in her last year of college, she made some financial mistakes. In her first couple of months, she ran her cell phone bill up to over five hundred dollars. She invited her friends over for dinners. She didn’t have the money to cover the $500.00 phone bill or to buy additional food.
I had to have a serious conversation with her regarding her financial status. And how much money or how little money we had to contribute to her living expenses. We were paying for her school expenses and her art supplies while she attended the Hussian School of Art. Also, we put the first, last a deposit on her apartment and furnished it for her. We had purchased her cell phone.
The good news is that my daughter graduated at the top of her class and excelled in every area.
It’s difficult to stand by and let a child make decisions that you consider inappropriate or immature without considering the consequences of that decision.
It was the same when that child took his or her first stumbling steps when they started to walk. You stood several feet away with your arms outstretched. And let them come toward you, knowing full well that they will fall at first, possibly get hurt. But allowing them because this is the necessary process, we all go through in learning to walk — their first steps to becoming an independent person.
Your child matures from an infant to a toddler to a young child to adolescent to young adult. Many changes take place. There were decisions to be made. When can the child play outside without the mother or father’s watchful presence? When can I allow him or her to walk to a friend’s house unaccompanied? How far can she or he ride their bike? When are they old enough to be left home without supervision? And later when are they ready to date, hold a job, learn to drive a car.
Each child is an individual and must be treated as such. There is no rule book for parenting. Many times, it’s a trial or error process. There is always a learning curve in parenting. Especially the first time around. And even the second or third time can be completely different than the others.
But the most significant and relevant factor in parenting is consistent. Consistent in rules of behavior, consistent in discipline. Consistent in love and acceptance for the child as an individual.
Children need to have structure in their environment and stability in their parent’s behavior towards them. And also, in the type of behavior parents expect in return from them.
Although a mother or father’s role as parents never ceases throughout their child’s life, it does change. Change can be difficult at times for both parents and child. But ultimately, it is absolutely a necessity for growth.
When anyone’s child is living on their own and completely independent of their parents, it may seem that the parent has become irrelevant. But still one finds that even the adult child will need approval, acceptance, and love. No matter how old the child is, including when they have children of their own.
So, in a real way, a parent’s job is never finished but is an ongoing process.