An interdependent adult is fully capable, confident in their own abilities and entirely self-aware (Photo: iStock)
For generations, the gold standard of successful parenting has been packaged into a single, glowing milestone: independence.
We take pride in the toddler who ties their own shoes, the teenager who manages their own schedule, and the young adult who moves out, pays their own bills, and proudly declares that they do not need anyone’s help.
We treat parenting like a race to the finish line of total self-reliance, celebrating the moments our children pull away from us as the ultimate signs of victory.
But if we look closer at a truly flourishing life, absolute independence is an illusion, and a lonely one at that. The real, more profound goal of raising a human being is not independence, but interdependence.
