My 20 year old daughter is dating and plans to marry a 26 year old Ex-con and meth addict.He has given her HIV and currently is trolling the internet looking for new sex partners to introduce into their relationship and with just him. Parenting you is becoming harder each day. (Long story). We went to counseling afterward. I know the boiler plate answer is let them fail and they will have to live with it, but as a loving parent I cannot sit back and let her self destruct. Thanks for sharing Jennifer. He's defined by his own choices, not by your shortcomings. You can say, You cant live here without following these rules. I just dont know what to do anymore. an adult, and thus has the ability to make her own decisions about her life, even those that you do not agree with or support. One received an athletic scholarship, one naval academy and one still in the house is trying to get an associates degree while in high school for free before even starting college. 3. Her teacher says she feeds on negative attention and will stop at nothing to get it. I see all these perks, but all my daughter sees is I dont want to do this sport anymore if the answer is to let it go and have her go to a school that will not give her the goals she said she wanted, how do I do that. I ask these things in Jesus' name. I pray, anyone seeking out these resources, are finding it early enough so they and their loved ones have a happy life. 2. If you Glad you found the article helpful! Our son never did a quarter of what she has done in our home and to us. You may blame me for being overprotective, but for me, your safety was above everything else. I will stand by you when you suffer from the repercussions of your bad choices and I will try my hardest to stand back and let you see how things could have been different. Not a dimeNow hes putting the lean on us ! There is no love quite like your first. She is completely self destructive. Then we went to counseling and more came out. While that is possible, it isnt necessarily true. Whenever she got into financial issues, I would be there to help and fix. Share your interests, discuss politics or topics outside of your relationship and really get to know your teen. First and foremost, I love you. My heart hurts, broken and TIRED. One received an athletic scholarship, one naval academy and one still in the house is trying to get an associates degree while in high school for free before even starting college. So, go ahead and fill up their love tanks. "Decision making is crucial because the decisions your children make dictate the path that their lives take." While some kids have no problem landing on their desired choice, for others, it's a struggle. Dont hand him the opportunity to avoid responsibility for those key decisions. After many weeks of tears and trying to convince her this will likely be the worst decision of her life (which I see now I should not have done), I have given up and accepted that she and her husband are adults and need to make their own decisions and live with the consequences. Im not going to sugarcoat it: Some kids will have a difficult journey. Respect your adult child's autonomy. "I sacrificed for years to make sure my son had the best education possible. But I need to not take it personally, and demand respect when shes in my home. I feel everything that Im reading and everything that others are saying. You are going to grow up. The tides are changing. Make her go to school I think she should go to? Your article has helped immensely. People will hurt you and say bad things - but don't let them bring you down. This caused me so much time reconciling. Apology Letter For Bad Behavior - 7+ Samples & Formats You should find a lot of support there. Guiding and leading requires you to change your behaviors as a parent instead of trying to get your adolescent to change his. Macbeth, at times, would feel some sort of remorse for killing Duncan. By "satisfactory results," Buffett is being modest. You have grown up to be a person i imagined and prayed for. hes been to treatment numerous times, comes back home and the cycle starts again. Moreover, make a point to state that if she is not ready to rebuild, that you . I'm just wondering if I made the right deduction. Congratulations on your graduation, son. It might take maturity for them to make the necessary changes. Her friends had multiple texts from her saying how she wanted to kill herself, although shes defended him! This morning I woke up and google a question and this came up and I have to say it does help because I cant live at peace I am always worried about him he is consuming my life . I have allowed my adult daughter 48 yrs and my 20 year old granddaughter move back in for several times and every time it was hell! Letter To Daughter Making Bad Choices - medlawns.com Right now you still adore me, you still look up to me, you love your father, you care for your siblings and you are a part of our house. 1. I feel helpless and am not sure how to approach this situation. Consider boundaries such as: No matter how old your child is, your role as parent never stops, but it does change. All of these things were easy to manage. The best lessons I learned in life, I learned the hard way and I need to let her learn that way as well. Let it be finance, relationships, or any other aspect of life, your child would always have room for making bad decisions. When your teen starts making bad decisions, it's a bad idea to try and be his friend. It was one of the most traumatic experiences I suffered through. Has your child been diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)? Blames it all on me, saying she hates the sport and never wanted to do it then I know that is not true. Sometimes its hard not to take your adult childs behavior personally as though they are doing it just to get back at you. He was very disrespectful of me and my other younger children. Teens and Privacy: Should I Spy on My Child? All you have to do at this stage is simply acknowledge these emotions. I am very grateful to be affirmed in my decisions to deal with my feelings about my adult daughter. Always remind him that the rules are for his welfare. Dont confuse enabling with loving your adult child.2. This is one of the most loving things you can do to help them move forward in a healthy way. Avoid power plays. Neither of us want this to be a permanent situation. Empowering Parents connects families with actionable tips, tools, and child behavior programs to help resolve behavior issues in children ages 5-25. last few months, and meeting with our youth pastor, yet I feel like there is something going on? It was the worst mistake ever please lets take care of ourselves be strong parents. Unless you want your 30, 45, 50-year-old child expecting you to continue to make everything alright for them, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT enable them by taking responsibility for their actions. An Apology Letter to my Children - Medium https://firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/kitera-dent-1xSiUiFQJvk-unsplash-scaled-e1598965473965.jpg, https://firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.png, 7 Ways To Deal With Adult Children Who Make Poor Decisions. I dont want to do this because I have an unsteady future and can barely hold the three jobs i have. I went to church and tried to teach her right from wrong and responsibility . Everyone told my daughter how bad this guy was but she believes everything he says. He doesnt do his chores he lies. disorders or offer recommendations on which treatment plan is best for I love my son more than he can imagine, but its time he gets his life together and I refuse to baby him. Prayer For Daughter Making Bad Choices YOU need to get a counselor to help you see that you are not and can not help her until she is ready. My heart is breaking that my kid is letting this jerk of a coach ruin her future. Its funnyas our children move from one stage to the next, we think to ourselves, Wow, Im glad we are past that. believing the next stage will be easier only to find out the current stage has its own set of unique challenges. Dont know when you wrote in, it is 5/2020 now. Her family tried everything to help her get out of the situation which her friends told us turned abusive and his heavy drinking and went through all her money, lost both her jobs, she didnt leave her apartment for over a month and a half, her friends were extremely concerned. Now divorced. I dont blame my parents for my poor adult decisions, but I do blame myself for my childrens poor decisions, and they blame me too. I feel like I understand being an adult child and im doing my best to break away, im looking for jobs, learning to stand on my own, but I hate feeling like im a burden and partially the reasons that Ive made so many poor decisions and going back on what I want to do is because Ive been trying to please them and not myself. I dont know the ins and outs on how you can do this but I would definitely get him some place where you can live out your life in harmony. Now that I cashed 70k out of my retirement to pay for a down payment on a house and pay all my divorce debt. Been arrested for drug paraphernalia. Choices: Good or Bad, They Pen Your Autobiography He is a junior and I don't see how he is going to graduate high school . Dear daughter, Save Image: iStock The day I held you in my arms for the first time, I promised myself that I would not let anything happen to you. A Letter from Mother to Daughter | Today's the Best Day I hope that his letter provides a sample you can use for your own letter to your daughter. I know you think you're all grown up, and you can take care of yourself. You are messy and you have a response for everything I ask and your responses are not always delivered politely. Think for yourself, find your own path. Research shows that having open, honest conversations with your child, early and often, is one of the most effective tools you can use to help your teen make good choices. We are so lucky that we have you , and we are your parents. I told them I filled that form out at 1 in the morning and was estimates from my attorney on what I was requesting from ex spouse. A toddler throwing a temper tantrum in public = a bad mom. My son is alcoholic . No, the people are not buying your heart-rending depiction of a home gone dark and lonely where once it was full of joy and sunshine - fuelled no doubt by an abundance of money. You might say, We love and care about you, thats why were doing this. My situation is my 31 yr old son is living at home with me, he is an addict and hes never lived on his own, worked a job or been sober more than 6 months. This makes your daughter a danger to you. Realize it's normal & relax. I told her she will have to transfer to a state school after sophomore year. Im not telling you what to do and Im not going to scream and yell. He quit drug rehab after one day. In our familys case, helping has never helped. June 21, 2022 letter to daughter making bad choices. Understand that some kids remain out of control no matter what. When theyre adults, youre more the coach or advisor on the sidelines, not their manager. Thank you so much for your advice. We dont know who your first real love will be but I know we cant wait to meet them. Slept all the time. Right. The difficult truth is, you dont have control over your childs choicesor the outcome of his or her life. You know better now and can make a change. There is a lot of pain and grief when a son or daughter grows up and refuses to live life on lifes terms. Take charge rather than take control. I will stand by you when you suffer from the repercussions of your bad choices and I will try my hardest to stand back and let you see how things could have been different. I can completely relate to your situation and feel your pain. He overpaid and rolled the closing costs into his mortgage. Be the adult she needs. 620 Lindsay Street, Suite 100 How to Deal With Teenagers Who Make Bad Choices He chose his wife. 2Smith, K. (2018, March 14). What I think is help has turned into enabling at its worst. She eventually moved out of our home without a warning just so this guy could stop by at his convenience and she didnt like how we hassled her about how bad he was. Instead, be his parent. Download Letter To Daughter Making Bad Choices doc. We love our children. The other day I was called at school because she has been caught with marijuana. So isnt their sufferings and truly my fault? When ever I do something for me I feel guilty that I feel happy but he isnt . Adult Children Living at Home? Im at my wits end.My health is deteriorating daily. She is wrapping up her MBA, has tripled her starting salary and is planning to replace her 8 yo car with a new Benz. Today when he got out of the county jail I told him his girlfriend wasn't allowed to come over any more due to the fact believe he is starting to sell drugs for money because we will not give him any by doing that he decides he's leaving and him and his girlfriend took off . Jennifer, I couldnt agree with you more! Taking responsibility for their behavior in any way wont happen. We will not share your information with anyone. You are the most caring person I have ever met. It happens every years since 8th grade this time of year. even one class he will not graduate. I want you to fall in love and I want you to feel everything that I felt the first time I fell in love. Create one for free! Theyve never made it easy to parent her because any issue was always someone elses fault I mean a big DUH on the whole lack of accountability thing thats going on with her now. I cannot leave her homemade alone. Sometimes, self-care can involve using local supports, such as a counselor, or a support group. 4. It just goes against everything in us as parents. And unlike your mother, your grades have not dropped since entering middle school. Grown Child Has Made Poor Decisions - Focus on the Family These tips can help you navigate this trying time. He is facing 10 years in TDC AGAIN. The Alanon Family Groups is a fellowship of relatives and friends who have been profoundly affected by the common problems of drug and alcohol or mental challenges that can devastate the family system.. I have some retirement and some child support until next year when my youngest moves out. Our daughter is the one making so many mistakes. I love you, Jade. I want to take the car which her sister has been paying the bills on it but Im so scared shell move out and end up on a worse path..