The Busy Years

Reclaiming Adulthood

Relationships

Married people with children often find their life revolves around the activities and scholastic needs of their children, and they tend to forget it is important to carve out time to be an adult. They see life as an endless series of lessons to teach their children, but they forget that an evening out can be a saving grace for them. Rather than focusing solely on their family, they need to occasionally focus on their own life as an adult. Reclaiming adulthood involves taking time away from the children on a regular basis, and it is an important part of being a good parent and spouse.

Many couples see the early years of raising their children as a critical time, and one of them generally takes a few years off to stay home with them. This is of great benefit to the children, but the partner who stays home all the time is often fighting a losing battle. Many stay-at-home parents often feel life is leaving them behind, and they can lose friends and social connections when they become overwhelmed with their responsibilities. Many of them are reentering the workplace more for the social connections than the financial gains.

When a person has been away from society for any length of time, they must make adjustments to their new situation. Stay-at-home parents often find they have little to share with their new co-workers that does not involve their children, and learning to socialize again can be difficult. Their return to society in the workplace might not seem to be the ideal social situation, but it can be if they learn how to cope.

Adult couples with children face many challenges, but the most difficult ones are often left with the parent who stays home to raise the children. They are often giving up a chance at a fulfilling career, and many of them now see that it is difficult to maintain their own social ties due to the workload they have at home.