From Guidance to Partnership:
Supporting Our Young Adults as They Enter the World of Work
written by Rentia Landman
There comes a moment when the rhythm of parenting changes completely. One day, we’re supporting them through exams and calming their nerves before big tests, and the next, they’re getting ready for their first day of work. We watch them step into a world that will challenge, stretch, and shape them, a world we can no longer protect them from, but one we can still walk alongside them as they navigate.
In one of our Parent Empowerment workshops, we spoke about what this moment really asks of us as parents. Not new advice, but a new posture. Not more direction, but deeper trust.
The world our young adults are entering is fast-changing, unpredictable, and full of possibility. Careers are no longer linear; they unfold like a jungle gym, not a ladder. There will be detours, shifts, and moments of uncertainty. But there will also be growth, discovery, and purpose, if they have the resilience and self-belief to navigate it.
And that’s where we, as parents, come in.
Listening before speaking
In these early years of work, our young adults are learning through experience, sometimes through success, often through struggle. They might wrestle with feedback, office politics, or their own expectations. Our instinct is to fix or advise. But what they often need most is not an answer, but a safe place to think out loud.
Listen with intent.
Notice what they’re learning, not just what they achieve.
Encourage effort, courage, and reflection, not perfection.
Connect with curiosity to their experience, not comparison to our own.
Empower by showing confidence in their ability and reflecting back the capability they already carry.
These simple acts create the foundation of partnership — a relationship where respect flows both ways.
Letting go, without stepping away
Letting go doesn’t mean disappearing. It means showing up differently. When we replace instruction with curiosity: “How did that feel?”, “What did you learn from it?” We signal trust in their capacity to grow.
They may stumble, change jobs, or question their choices. But these moments don’t mark failure; they mark becoming. Each experience, even the hard ones, adds to the story of who they are.
The truth is, our young adults won’t remember every piece of advice we gave them. But they’ll remember how we made them feel when life stretched them thin, calm, capable, and believed in.
Modelling what we hope they’ll carry
As parents, we are still teachers, not through instruction, but through example. When we respond to change with perspective, they learn adaptability. When we face uncertainty with grace, they learn composure. When we celebrate effort, not perfection, they learn resilience.
We no longer lead by being in front of them, but by walking alongside them, showing that growth never really ends; it just changes shape.
Because they don’t need us to be experts in their world. They need us to be steady in ours.
A new kind of togetherness
This stage of parenting invites a gentler rhythm, one built on trust, respect, and mutual learning. Our task now is to keep believing in who they are becoming, even when the path looks different from what we imagined.
To stand beside them, not above them.
To keep listening, noticing, encouraging, connecting, and empowering.
To remember that letting go was never about distance, it was about love growing spacious enough to let them lead.
The goal isn’t certainty; It’s confidence — theirs, and ours, in the unfolding of who they’re becoming.
If this message resonates, you can explore more reflections from our Parent Empowerment Series, where we walk with parents through each stage of this journey — from early choices to the first steps into the world of work.
