Get to know them
Ever hear your favorite TV mom tell their child “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore”? Chances are, as a parent, you’ve felt that way too. It’s because your child is forever changing. Who they were as a teen isn’t who they’ll be as an adult, and as they continue to experience life, they’ll keep evolving. Getting to know your child is a lifelong experience. “When you are a parent, you think you know your relationship with your child and you think you know your child,” Gamboni said. “And then it takes [your child] moving away, not seeing your child as often, and having your child work off of different influences that don’t involve you to have you really get to know them. This presents an opportunity for the parent to get to know the child again now that they aren’t living under their roof.”