THE FUSE

Every week I hear the same story from parents of struggling adult children: "I've apologized. Nothing changes." These parents admit (often readily) that they were too strict, too controlling, or perhaps too permissive. They may have missed identifying (or following up on) their adult child’s anxiety when they were younger, or maybe did not follow up on addressing depression, ADHD, or learning problems. Parents who divorced also acknowledge that the divorce left scars. So why do these parents who say they are sorry (often many times) find their apologies only make things worse?