Relationships in Middle Adulthood

Parents

Most middle adults characterize the relationship with their parents as affectionate.

Indeed a strong bond often exists between related middle and older adults.

Although the majority of middle adults do not live with their parents, they usually maintain frequent and positive contact.

And, perhaps for the first time, middle adults see their parents as fallible human beings.

One issue facing middle adults is that of caring for their aging parents.

In some cases, adults, who expected to spend their middle‐age years traveling and enjoying their own children and grandchildren, instead find themselves taking care of their ailing parents.

Relationships with older adult parents vary a great deal.

Some parents remain completely independent of their adult children's support; others partially depend upon their children; and still others completely depend upon them.

Daughters and daughters‐in‐law most commonly take care of aging parents and in‐laws.

Support groups and counseling exist for adults caring for their older parents.

These typically provide information, teach caregiver skills, and offer emotional support.

Other programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, ease the financial burdens of older adults and their caregivers.

Middle adults normally react with intensity and pain to the death of one or both parents.

(Of course, this holds true for individuals at all stages of the lifespan.) The death of one's parents ends a life‐long relationship and offers a “wake‐up call” to live life to its fullest and mend broken relationships while the people involved still live.

Finally, the death serves as a reminder of one's own mortality.

Even though the death of a parent is never welcome, some long‐term adult caretakers express certain ambivalent feelings about the event.