• Home
  • Common Issues
    • Mood
      • Depression
      • Anxiety
      • Panic
      • Social Anxiety
    • Relationships
      • Couples Counseling
      • Physical Intimacy Issues
      • Finding the Right Relationship
      • Family Issues
    • Coaching
      • Career
      • Life Coaching
      • Weight Management & Fitness Coaching
    • Other
      • Medicare and Senior Issues
      • Child and Adolescent
      • Christian Counseling
      • Chronic Pain and Medical Issues
      • Medication Evaluation and Management
  • About Therapy
    • Session Formats
      • Individuals
      • Couples
      • Kids and Teens
      • Families
      • Canine Counseling
    • Therapy Styles
      • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
      • Family Systems (Psychodynamic)
      • Christian Counseling
      • Meditation and Mindfulness Training
      • Hypnosis Therapy Technique
    • FAQs
      • What is the difference between a psychologist and a counselor?
      • What is your confidentiality policy?
      • Does therapy really work?
      • How long will I need to be in therapy?
      • How often should I come?
      • How can I measure my progress in therapy?
      • What if I don’t share the same belief system or life circumstances as my therapist?
      • Can I use my insurance?
  • Inspiration
    • Articles
      • Blog
        • Getting Ahead of Your Anxiety

        • Raising Respectable Children – Am I Parenting the Right Way?

        • Superheroes – Why Do We Love Them

        • Combating Negativity to See the Big Picture

        • 8 Ways to Unstick Yourself and Find Motivation

    • Quotes
      • InstagramInstagram has returned invalid data.
    • Videos
      • Videos
        • Understanding Guilt and How It Works

        • Sexual Dissatisfaction

  • Checklist
    • Adult ADHD Self-Evaluation
    • Anxiety Self-Evaluation
    • Bipolarism Self-Evaluation
    • Depression Self-Evaluation
    • Panic Attack Self-Evaluation
    • Relationship Health Self-Evaluation
    • Social Anxiety Self-Evaluation
    • Sexual Dysfunction Self-Evaluation
  • About Us
    • Whole Life Philosophy
    • Staff
      • Heather Robbins, Ph.D., LP
      • James Robbins, MA., LPC
      • Leslie Scott, MS, LPC
      • Steve Reedy, MA, LPC, RMT, NMT
      • Breanna Katz-Estrada, MSW, LCSW
      • Emily McGlothlin, MS, LPC
      • Jon Johnston, MA, LPC
      • Kelly Kay Wynn, MS, MSW, LCSW
      • Marilyn Powell, Ph.D.
      • Diane Williams, MSW, LCSW
    • News
    • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Rates
    • Insurance
      • Fees & Insurance
      • Medicare Part B
      • Blue Cross and Blue Shield
    • Location
    • Appointments
      • Schedule a Consultation
      • Scheduling Hours
      • Scheduling Policy
  • Social & Contact
    ‪(972) 755-0996

Dallas Whole Life Counseling

Licensed Psychologist and Therapists

Top 10 psychologists in Dallas, TX 2016 Top Counseling & Mental Health in Dallas

Schedule a Consult

Managing Family and Independence

October 7, 2017 by James Robbins, M.A., LPC

Should you take your parents’ advice? That depends. Before you answer this question, ask yourself another: How well do you really know your parents?

It’s perfectly natural and healthy to go through a phase of feeling like your father is Superman or your mother is Wonder Woman. You idealize your parents in childhood because you need to. You are almost entirely dependent upon your parents for survival and development until you reach young adulthood. It’s comforting to think of your parents as infallible superheroes. For better or worse, these are the parents you’ve got, so it makes sense to see them in a favorable, reassuring light until you are more self-sufficient.

Many people never fully grow out of this phase, however. Many accomplished adults still think of one or both of their parents as larger than life figures able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. When you continue to idealize your parents long after childhood, your own development as an individual tends to suffer. People adopt a simplified view of their parents as a way of managing their own anxiety. If you tell yourself that your parents have the answers, then it reduces the pressure to find your own answers. Even the most well-meaning of families sometimes encourage outmoded ways of thinking, feeling or doing, long after these deeply ingrained habits no longer serve you.

It’s important to recognize your parents as whole people with admirable strengths and human flaws alike. Maybe your father is great with money, but is he a deeply happy, positive person? Maybe your mother is incredibly caring and nurturing, but does she also worry lot? In other words, take what’s great about your parents and integrate these qualities in your own life. At the same time, intentionally recognize what isn’t so great about your parents. Take what works, but leave behind what doesn’t. Simply recognizing your parents’ shortcomings doesn’t make you disloyal or ungrateful. But it does make you less likely to repeat their mistakes.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Education, Newsletter, Relationship Tagged With: advise, family, parents, relationship

About James Robbins, M.A., LPC

James Robbins is a licensed professional counselor, published author and co-owner of Dallas Whole Life Counseling. He has over 15 years of experience helping people in various life stages that come from a wide variety of cultural, economic and family backgrounds. Learn more about his background by clicking here.

Search the Site

Latest Blog Posts

  • Getting Ahead of Your Anxiety
  • Raising Respectable Children – Am I Parenting the Right Way?
  • Superheroes – Why Do We Love Them
  • Combating Negativity to See the Big Picture
  • 8 Ways to Unstick Yourself and Find Motivation

Contact Us

North Dallas Location
6380 Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Suite 299
Dallas, TX 75240

Plano Location
Legacy Place II
5700 Tennyson Parkway
Suite 300
Plano, TX 75024

Phone & Email
‪(972) 755-0996‬
contact@dallaswholelife.com

Office Hours
Mondays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Thursdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Fridays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Saturdays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Sundays: Closed

Common Issues

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Couples Counseling
  • Physical Intimacy Issues
  • Panic
  • Senior Issues
  • Child & Adolescent
  • Christian Counseling
  • Career Coaching
  • Life Coaching
  • Social Anxiety
  • EMDR
  • Family Issues
  • Grief Counseling
  • Weight & Fitness
  • Eating Disorders
  • Chronic Pain
  • Medical Issues

Dallas Office Hours

Main Office: (972) 755-0996
Mondays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Thursdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Fridays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Saturdays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Sundays: Closed

Follow Us

Contact Us

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Dallas Whole Life Counseling | 6380 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy., Suite 299 | Dallas, TX 75240 | (972) 755-0996Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved. Website by Rokkit Marketing.