They find it difficult to think of you as an adult. The way you live may irritate them, too. They might hate your messy room, which would require a tetanus shot just to walk through. They may not like your music. Perhaps you drive the family car as if you've been to Kamikaze driving school.
Every day brings a new argument, a new battle.
When things deteriorate to that point, it's time to get out. Neither she nor I has ever regretted that decision. Now that our kids are grown, we would not trade the time we invested in them for anything on earth. Looking back today, we feel it was especially important for Shirley to be at home during our kids' teen years. No column was availabe at publishing time.