The older you get, the more irritated you may feel with the constant check-ups from your parents on things like what you ate today, who you were with, or where you went. However, this is something that is actually very common and natural to happen.
No matter how successful you become in life, and no matter how well you take care of yourself, your parents will always worry and lose sleep over almost every detail in your life and you’ll always be their child.
This is what a study has found, after analyzing 186 married couples with two or three adult children. It turns out that parents will continue worrying about their children past their adolescent age and during their adulthood.
Amber J. Seidel, Ph.D., of Penn State York in Pennsylvania, got involved with the research to point out the importance of family relationship to society. As she explains to CBS News, the focus on family socialization in our culture is put on the period when children are younger.
“I seek to study topics that help us understand how family continues to be a central part of our lives throughout adulthood, and I encourage considering family-level influences in all situations,” she says.
For the purpose of the study, the research team gave the 186 couples (at the average age of 57) a set of statements to rate on a scale of 1 to 8 (1 – daily, 8 – once a year). The survey contained statements regarding emotional and financial support, practical help, companionship, and discussing everyday events.
The parents were surveyed on how much time they spend worrying about their children on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being ‘not at all’, and 5 – ‘a great deal’) and how much sleep they got at night.
And their findings only confirmed what many people experience every day – parents do worry and lose sleep over their children even when their children were actually mature adults.
The main difference between the mothers and fathers was that while the mothers’ sleep quality was disrupted because of the worry they had for their adult children regardless of who provided the support, fathers only lost sleep when they were the ones who needed to provide support.
It turns out that the mere act of giving support is what affected the fathers’ sleep, whereas the stress over the support is what troubled the mothers.
No matter how you see it, in the end, this study is a strong confirmation to all of us that our parents will never stop caring, and they will continue dedicating their health and wellbeing for our sake.
Do you have parents who constantly ask for updates on your life? Don’t forget to tell them how much you appreciate their concern!
Source: ABC News
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