Watching your children become adults, while one of the most rewarding times, can also be one of the most difficult transitions. A lot of change occurs in their lives during young adulthood. Potentially moving to a new city, starting a new job, developing new hobbies and meeting new people are all major transitions for your young-adult child.

These major milestones in your young adult’s life will inevitably change the nature of your relationship with them. As your child grows and changes in this new phase of their lives, how do you best maintain and strengthen your relationship with them?

AARP recommends the following:

• * Observe respectful boundaries
• * Listen more than you talk
• * Do what you love together and intimacy will follow
• * Set ground rules for how to disagree
• * Make room for the significant others in their lives
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The points mentioned above are all essential to showing your young adult that while you will always support them, you also trust them to learn and grow on their own. This will strengthen your relationship by showing them that you respect their decisions and can set healthy boundaries.

These healthy boundaries create the space to bond over shared interests and activities. This relational shift may feel comfortable at first, but is essential to cultivating a lasting and loving friendship with them.