14 DAY TRIAL // When children are growing up, everything they do is meant to emulate what they see their parents do. When teenage is reached, the years of rebellion against everything that had been set in stone until then begin, with children turning a cold shoulder to the parents they looked up to until not long. A new study has revealed that only at the age of 22, do children, both male and female, truly begin to appreciate their parents and go back to them for advice and support.
As the poll carried out by website OnePoll on almost 5,000 families has revealed, it’s the first brush with the harsh reality that makes children realize that what their “nagging,” “stiff,” “uncool” parents were telling them was actually good advice. Moreover, it is also now that they come to see that they can use their parents’ support and guidance when having to deal with life on their own. Basically, the findings of the study have revealed that it’s at 22 that the parent-child relationship becomes more solid.
“[W]hen kids leave home and start to fend for themselves, they no longer have to conform to their parents’ ways and rebel against their suggested habits. This is a point of reflection for most people. And when they start having to make their own decisions about finances, food, relationships and health, this is when they realize the extent of their mom and dad’s input to date.” a spokesperson for OnePoll told the Daily Mail about the results of the poll.
One factor that makes children want to be back at home, with mom and dad taking care of everything as usual, is moving out for college. It is here, the study has showed, that they first have to deal with money, food and maintenance issues on their own, without assistance or help from parents. However, marriage and having kids are also among the factors that help children acknowledge the importance of parents.
“All of a sudden, mom and dad are a force to be reckoned with, they are no longer taken for granted and their advice is suddenly more valuable than anyone else’s.” the spokesperson further explained. Moreover, while until the age of 30 it’s the parents who spend nights up worrying for kids, once this threshold is reached, the roles are reversed, with children thinking more frequently about their parents getting ill and not being able to take care of themselves.